S1 Episode 11: The Angel's Eye
by firebreathingfishies
Summary: Eleven Stars is the best hotel in the universe, so the Doctor and Ashley can't pass up a visit on opening night. A bit of fun soon turns into investigation when they discover a huge light anomaly outside the hotel, and a few secrets to go with it COMPLETE
1. Destination, Unknown

**A/N: Whooo, for a minute there I thought this I wasn't going to be able to post because it wouldn't let me upload any documents...silly . Anywho, onto Episode 11 now (this is 11, isn't it? I keep losing count lol) Like I've said a bunch of times, Degeneration will come next. I'm making it work so it'll be in a kind of two-parter with the finale. Whoosh only 3 stories left including this one, and two of them are already half finished! I'm a bit sad actually, because nothing is ever the same after the finalés...**

**I thought I'd go back to the roots of DW with this one a bit. I don't think I've had enough proper aliens and stuff in my stories, so here's some spacey alieny type stuff. Not right away but it's there. Eventually lol. So enjoy! x

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**Chapter One**

**Destination, Unknown**

Having only ever seen the interior of one TARDIS in her time, Ashley was unsure to whether or not the Doctor's TARDIS was top of the range or not. It was impressive to her, certainly, but the most impressive form of transport she had ever been in was a candy pink Hummer that a friend had rented for her birthday one year. You could tell if a Hummer was brand new or ready to be scrapped. The TARDIS, well… it was hard to tell, but taking that they had broken down for the sixth time that week, she had to risk a guess and say that it probably had a few billion miles on its clock.

At least nothing had caught fire this time. There had been an explosion and a few sparks, but no need for the fire extinguisher. Which was a good thing really seeing as it was empty. A few levers had to be reconnected to the console but according to the Doctor it was nothing; apparently it happened all the time. That statement hadn't been particularly reassuring. Despite the console being fixed, they still couldn't carry on with their destination-less journey, as during the turbulence a closet door had swung open, sending a tidal wave of junk and trinkets to flood the console room floor. The Doctor had grumpily set about to tidying up, but Ashley had clambered up onto the catwalk to keep out of the way. She wouldn't have only put things in the wrong place anyway.

'This is ridiculous,' she announced loudly, turning the book over in her hands and squinting at the words on the page. 'This makes less sense than the Matrix. And it doesn't even have Keanu Reeves to blame.'

The Doctor glanced up from a last box that needed to be repacked and squinted at the book she held. 'What's that you've got?'

Ashley frowned, not sure how to answer. 'Well… I've figured out that it's a book. And then I'm kind of stuck.'

The Doctor pushed his glasses back up his nose and returned his attention back to the box, pushing in various shaped discs into the right sized slots. 'Well you are aware of what you do with books, aren't you?'

Ashley shot him a frown. 'No,' she replied sarcastically. 'Do you chew on them?'

'If you like the taste of re-recycled toilet paper.'

There was a moment in which Ashley couldn't decide whether or not to put the book down. She decided that it probably wasn't as disgusting as it sounded, but gently closed the book anyway. 'I've been reading it for about an hour now,' she explained, her brow slightly creased. 'And at first I thought it was about a young Krolexian trying to decide on which form to live his life in, and then it was suddenly about raising two headed children in the Fluxfife Nebula and… and then I was pretty sure I was reading a shopping list.'

'What's it called?'

Ashley examined the cover. 'Doesn't have a title.' She flipped open to the first page. 'But it does say that it was first published in a printing house in Croydon in 3054.'

'Ah, that explains it.' The Doctor beamed, hopping energetically to his feet and scooping the box up in his arms. 'They're always printing stuff like that in Croydon.'

Ashley watched him cross the floor to the cupboard. He pulled the door open quickly and tossed the box inside with a _crash_, and then slammed it shut again before everything could pour back out. 'You are talking about the Croydon I know, right?'

The Doctor looked at her in bewilderment as he dusted his hands. 'What? Oh, oh of course not. Although not a lot of good things have come out of that Croydon either…'

Ashley leaned on the bars running around the catwalk and dropped the book beside her. 'So are you all done then?'

'Yes, although without any help from you. You know, it's not like I ask much. I don't try and make you pay board or anything like that. Although I'm not sure why I would need to do that in the first place, it's not as if I have to pay any rent. Anyway, it wouldn't kill you to help tidy the place around once in a while.'

'Hey, I did the dishes yesterday.'

'For the first time in how long?' the Doctor shook his head and sighed. 'I'm going to stop now before this gets ugly.'

'Before it turns into a domestic, you mean?' Ashley smirked.

'I don't do domestic.' The Doctor replied with a frown. He prodded a button randomly on the console. 'Bad for my chi.'

Ashley chuckled. 'Your chi?'

He only shrugged. 'Sounds better than 'it gets on my nerves'.' He prodded another button, and with that he was suddenly grinning manically like his usual manic self. 'Anyway! Where were we before that untimely breakdown?'

Ashley slid under the bar and dropped off the catwalk, landing on the floor with a _thud_. 'I can't remember actually. You were saying something about berries?'

The Doctor was looking at her disapprovingly. 'I wish you wouldn't jump off there. You're going to put a hole right through the floor one day, and I'm not going to pull you out again. I'll leave you down there.' He turned his attention back to the console before she could respond. 'Ah yes! Berries! And not just any berries; my second favourite berries.'

'What's your first favourite kind?'

The Doctor snorted. 'Ask a stupid question…' He blinked at her blank look. 'Bananas!' he cried. 'Do you know _anything_ about me?'

'Bananas aren't berries.' Ashley frowned. 'They're just… bananas.'

'They are. They grow in groups called clutches. If you don't believe me, look it up. Now anyway, about my other favourite kind of berries. They grow on a lovely little island on the west side of the planet Harlamarataralopia. They turn your tongue rainbow coloured. I used to have a whole jar full but they got… well, eaten. By someone who wasn't me. So what do you think?'

'I think you make up those place names.' Ashley replied.

'Do you have any idea how many planets there are in the universe?' the Doctor replied defensively. 'You think I can remember all of their names? And trust me, its real name is much harder to remember.'

She smirked at him and sat down on the jump seats, putting her feet up on the console like he always did when he sat there. 'What are the locals like?' she asked, knowing from experience that it was one of the first questions to ask, along with '_Is there any oxygen on that planet_?' Just by the way he screwed up his nose she knew the answer wasn't going to be a good one.

'Well, we'd avoid them of course,' he replied, slapping her feet down off the console. 'But seriously, these berries are amazing. The colours don't stay still you know, they _ripple_. It's great fun. And they have no calories, so you can eat as many as you like without getting porky.'

Ashley held a hand up. 'Now hold up there, pally.' She said, turning her flat hand into a waggling finger. 'Don't think you can distract me with tie-dye hippy sweets and the perfect diet plan. Why would we have to avoid the locals?'

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck and squinted. 'Well… maybe because they don't really like humans all that much. Or humanoids. Or anything with two eyes, two arms and two legs. And they're not particularly keen on things with scales either. And when I say they don't like humans or anything vaguely human shaped, I mean that they are torn apart and devoured on sight.' He paused and shrugged. 'So I suppose to _do_ technically like humanoids, just not in the sense that we would like them to.'

'No way. Sorry, but I'm not risking getting eaten alive because of a few berries.'

'I can land us right on the island! Seriously, there aren't even any of them on the island. They won't even know we're there. It'll be exciting.'

'There's a huge giant Pavarotti sized line between exciting and death wish. And trust your landing capabilities? I think not. Knowing you we'll probably end up in the middle of one of their wedding parties or something. No, I'm not going there.'

The Doctor looked away sulkily. 'Well it's your loss. Those berries are amazing.'

'Is there nothing nearby?' Ashley asked, getting up and joining his side at the console. She peered at the screen, which a while ago had meant nothing to her except a few pretty patterns, but now she knew the circles signified planets and the larger, hollow ones signified systems. A small white dot in the far corner caught her attention and she pointed at it. 'What's that?'

The Doctor pushed his glasses back on and peered at the screen. Then he grinned broadly. 'Oh, well done Ashley. Good choice. _Very_ good choice.' He bounded off and began to perform his in-flight ritual of bashing the TARDIS with a hammer while Ashley watched him, worried.

'Why is it a good choice?' she asked. 'What is it?'

'I couldn't have picked better myself.' The Doctor replied as the column began to rise and fall. 'Actually, I probably could have. But… well, for your first go, you know, it's good.'

'But I didn't pick it! I just asked what it was!'

'Oh but we can't go by and not visit! We'll need invitations probably, but I'm sure the psychic paper can cover that one. And you'll have to dress a little smarter. I'll get my tux. It'll be _great_!'

'We're not going to get killed or eaten or dismembered, are we?'

'Of course not!' the Doctor grinned. 'The only thing there that can harm you is if you drink too much from the free bar.'

Ashley's frown disappeared and her eyebrows rose with new interest. 'Free bar?' she echoed.

'I thought you would like that,' the Doctor tutted. 'You should take it easy. I can picture you being an alcoholic at thirty.'

'When you say free…' Ashley paused. 'Where are we going exactly?'

The TARDIS came to a halt with an echoing thud, and the Doctor beamed at her from the other side of the console. 'Eleven Stars.' He replied.

Ashley blinked. 'What?'

'It's a hotel,' he told her. 'It's called Eleven Stars, because it's the only hotel in the universe to have a rating of eleven stars.'

'But hotel ratings only go up to five.'

The Doctor winked and grinned. 'Exactly.' He bounded past her, grabbing her hand and dragging her after him. 'Now come on. Dressing up time.'


	2. Dress Code

**Chapter Two**

**Dress Code**

Ashley let out a cry as her left foot toppled. She saved herself from snapping her ankle in two by grabbing the doorframe, but she had left herself extremely insecure about her choice of footwear. It had been nearly three years since she had worn shoes with a heel bigger than an inch, and these five-inch stilettos were just an accident waiting to happen. But it was either these or her boots that were still disgusting from her run in with the Bog of Eternal Stench back on fantasy land or whatever it had been called. The Doctor would have had a fit if she had returned with those on.

'Oh my, don't you scrub up well?'

Ashley glanced up in mid-frown at the Doctor, who was standing in the middle of the console room looking very smart in a black tuxedo. His hands were buried deep in his pockets and he was grinning manically. Ashley grinned back, but not for the same reason he was.

'You're wearing a _dickey bow_!' she laughed, pointing at him.

His smile faltered and he looked down at his black bow tie that went with the rest of his black tux. 'What? No, no don't call it that. It's a _bow tie_. It's a…' He hesitated. 'It's so I look…' He paused and sighed. 'It's a dickey bow. You're right, it's a dickey bow.'

Ashley ambled forward, trying her best to look like she wasn't struggling to walk. 'If you think I'm going to some smart do with you wearing a dickey bow you've got another thing coming, pally.'

The Doctor frowned as he untied it. 'Everyone's always liked my bow tie. Well, no one's ever really commented on it to be honest…' He looked at it hanging from his hand, and then pushed it into his pocket. 'Is that better then? Am I good enough now?'

'It would be better if you could change yourself into, say… Brad Pitt, but we can't have everything, can we?' Ashley smiled cheekily and brushed down the front of her black dress. She had actually bought it a year ago for a funeral, but it turned out that there had been a bit confusion at the hospital and the person who had supposedly died was actually fine. Ashley had been relieved that there was going to be no funeral, but she was slightly bitter that she had spent seventy pounds on a dress she would probably never wear. Now she was grateful for the mix up or she would have had to resort to the Doctor's wardrobe, and she didn't look upon the last time she had to borrow from him with much fondness.

The Doctor peered down at her shoes. 'Are you sure you can manage?'

'What, in these?' Ashley scoffed. 'Of course. I wear them all the time.' She started forward, and abruptly began to topple over. The Doctor caught her, grinning. 'Okay,' she admitted. 'Maybe I'm a little rusty.' She righted herself and pulled self-consciously at the hem of her dress. 'I hate these shoes. I walk like a tranny in them.'

The Doctor eyed her for a moment. 'Oh… kay.' He clapped his hands loudly and resumed grinning. 'Are you ready then?'

Ashley managed a smile and moved towards him again. She was taller than usual and the Doctor looked peculiar from the new angle. He held his arm out for her to take and she reached out, thinking that maybe it wasn't so hard to walk in heels after all… and then she stumbled again. For the second time he caught her, laughing.

'Oh come on!' he laughed, straightening her up again. 'It's not that hard. Heel, toe and all that.'

Ashley pushed her hair back from her face and rubbed her ankle, while holding onto the Doctor's arm. 'I just need to get used to it, that's all.' She insisted. 'I'll be fine if you just… help me walk for a while.'

The Doctor grinned and put her arm through his. 'No problem. Just promise not to drag me down with you, okay?'

Ashley shook her head. 'I promise nothin'.'

They walked to the doors of the TARDIS and Ashley felt a smile growing on her face, along with the fluttering feeling in her stomach that she always got when they landed somewhere new. Every time the doors opened she was greeted with a new, more amazing sight than the last. Well… there was one time they had landed in a cupboard and that hadn't really been that amazing, but she had let that slide. The Doctor pushed open the door and stepped back to let her leave first, which she did with a grin.

Her heels clicked on the smooth, polished floor. She looked around and her breath caught in her throat. 'Oh my… Jesus Christ!'

The Doctor stepped out behind her grinning, and locked the TARDIS door behind him. 'Oh that's fantastic!' he beamed.

Ashley gaped at the corridor they stood in. The floor was the colour of pearls, even with the reflective pink in patches. The walls were the same, only etched with silver workings that ran up towards the arched ceiling in beautiful, flower like patterns. The ceiling must have been about the height of her home back on Earth, and crystal chandeliers hung halfway down and glittered prettily. Even though she was in a dress and heels, she still felt very underdressed.

'I feel like I should be wearing a ball gown or something.' She mumbled.

The Doctor nodded. 'I always knew it was grand but this…' He whistled to show his appreciation.

'You've never been here before?' Ashley asked, mildly surprised. She had always assumed that he had been everywhere. She took his arm again as he held it out to her and they proceeded down the hall.

'Nope. I've seen pictures and stuff but I never really got around to it.' He looked up at the arched ceiling. 'Brilliant craftwork this place. Took forty years just to draw up the blueprints for the dining area.'

'Bloody hell.' Ashley murmured.

'And you know what?' the Doctor said as a group of well-dressed humanoids came into view at the end of the hall. 'I think we've turned up on opening night.'


	3. Lord and Lady

**A/N: Whoop whoop for quick updates lol. I'm posting quick cos I'm writing quick... duh, sorry for stating the obvious. I'm having a dense day. Although wtf is up with FF? The alerts aren't working and I can't even read the reviews you lovely people have left :( Thankyou anyway, you lovely cherubs. It'll probably all be back to normal in the morning... so I'm off to freak myself out with some Stephen King (The Mist is frickin' scary O.O)

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**Chapter Three**

**Lord and Lady**

The two new arrivals made their way up the grand corridor, Ashley's arm through the Doctor's. She was getting more and more used to the heels and hopefully it wouldn't be long before she could walk unaided. The sound of soft, classical music mixed with polite laughter and chatter floated down towards them. It sounded almost ghostly. Ashley couldn't help but smile.

'And this is a hotel?' she asked for about the fourth time.

'Yup,' the Doctor replied, his grin matching hers. 'One of only two hundred space hotels in the universe. We're not even orbiting anything; it's completely self-reliant. Doesn't float off or anything. Fantastic, isn't it?'

'That's an understatement. It's… I don't have any words for it. It makes the Hilton Hotels look like the gutter.'

They turned the lavish corner and came to a halt, their grins disappearing. The Doctor frowned in disappointment. 'Aw would you look at that? All the effort of getting all dolled up and we have to wait in line like… like peasants!'

In front of two huge wooden, intricately carved doors stood about fifty or sixty people, each of them dressed in beautiful dresses and smart suits. They were all lined up, gradually getting through the large doors by flashing the suited men stationed there small cards, presumably their invites. The Doctor clicked his tongue in annoyance.

'Well at least you know it's good if even the rich and powerful have to queue.' Ashley shrugged.

The Doctor's eyes lit up and he turned to her with a grin. Ashley looked at him suspiciously, knowing that he was planning something that would either get them into deep trouble or… actually that was the only thing they would get into.

'What are you going to do?' she asked warily.

He only continued to grin and pulled her towards the queue. He made his way through the waiting guests with various polite utterings of 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' until they finally reached the front. He grinned broadly at the suited man who was checking the invites.

'Hello there.' The Doctor beamed.

The man frowned slightly. 'I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to wait in line like everyone else.'

The Doctor shook his head. 'Ah, well you see, we were told we wouldn't have to wait. We have a Speeder ticket.'

The man eyed the two of them for a moment. 'I'm afraid I need to see an invite.'

'We're on the list,' the Doctor insisted, pointing at the clipboard in the man's hands. Before he could pull the clipboard back, the Doctor spotted two names crossed out on the bottom of the list. 'There we are!' He flashed the psychic paper, which displayed an invite addressed to Lord and Lady Thoruborn.

The man's cheeks flushed slightly. 'Oh… Oh I do apologise sir. We were told that yourself and your Lady wouldn't be attending this evening.'

The Doctor grinned and shrugged. 'Must have been a mix up. Happens to the best of us.' He nodded ahead. 'Alright if we just head on in then? It is? Thanks.'

Ashley managed to smile briefly at the man on the door before being dragged through by the Doctor. She stumbled briefly, but managed to regain her balance by grabbing tightly onto the Doctor's arm. 'Not so quick,' she hissed.

'Sorry,' the Doctor replied, eyes wide and glittering with excitement. 'I just get carried away with myself sometimes.'

'So who are we?' Ashley whispered, eyeing a woman passing in a rather luxurious fur coat and an extravagant hairdo.

'I'm Lord Thoruborn,' the Doctor replied. 'If I remember rightly, he's the CEO of Rapturecorp. Specialises in building, architecture, that kind of thing.'

'Rapturecorp?' Ashley snorted. 'Sounds like a glam rock band. So who am I?'

'Well, it says on the invite that you're Lady Thoruborn. Or, if you're feeling adventurous you could be an escort, they're pretty popular even amongst the married. It's your choice.'

Ashley scowled. 'Excuse me?'

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and hands defensively. 'What? I said it's your choice.'

'I think I'll stick with Lady Thoruborn rather than your hussy,' she replied tartly. 'Expect a lot of nagging on my part.'

'As if that's anything new.' The Doctor muttered.

Ashley shot him a look that could have frozen fire. 'As if anyone would believe that I would marry _you_ anyway-'

'Ah, greetings!' a polite but loud voice announced suddenly, catching both the Doctor and Ashley off guard. 'I'm so glad you could join us on such a wonderful occasion. Mr and Mrs…?'

'Actually,' the Doctor replied, smirking at Ashley's bewilderment. 'It's Lord. I'm Lord Thoruborn.'

The man who had greeted them was tall and thin, with a neatly groomed brown moustache above his thin lips. He was elderly, but held himself like a man in his prime. He seemed to fluster slightly when the Doctor told them 'who' they were, but then his polite smile quickly returned and he shook the Doctor's hand with a surprisingly strong grip.

'Ah, Lord Thoruborn, I was told you weren't coming. I'm Jacobi Leville. It's absolutely fantastic to finally meet you. I heard you have always been quite interested in architecture. So,' He gestured to the room around them. 'What do you think?'

The Doctor glanced around at the grand high ceilings, the sparkling chandeliers, and intricate detail in everything down to the door handles, and then caught sight of a waiter passing with a tray. He plucked up two canapés and handed one to Ashley whilst putting the other in his mouth. 'Well, it's all a bit flashy for my liking,' he replied, brushing his hands together. 'Very nice though. If you're into that kind of thing.'

Leville looked bewildered at the response. He spluttered for a moment, unsure how to proceed, and then turned a slightly relieved smile onto Ashley. 'I'm sorry, but we haven't been introduced.'

Ashley held out one hand gracefully and smiled. She probably would have looked more like she had intended if she hadn't had a mouth full of canapé. The Doctor answered for her.

'This is Lady Thoruborn.' He said. 'It's the first time we've been out together. The wedding was only… recent. So I suppose, in theory… this is our honeymoon!' He winked at Ashley, but she just rolled her eyes briefly.

Leville's eyes lit up. 'Oh how wonderful! Congratulations to you both. I think some complimentary champagne is in order.'

Ashley forced the canapé down her throat and smiled. 'Thank you. You couldn't make it two bottles, could you?'

The Doctor laughed a little too loudly and pulled Ashley closer. 'Oh you're funny, sweetheart,' The Doctor nodded to Leville, smiling too broadly. 'It's why I married her. She's very funny.' Ashley looked at him in confusion, but Leville only smiled politely.

'Well once again, congratulations,' he half bowed to them. 'If you have any queries about Eleven Stars, don't hesitate to come and find me. I'd like to recommend for you to go up on the observation deck to see the anomaly. I'll call ahead and see if I can get you both a um… _private_ deck.' He nodded, winked, and then began to leave. The Doctor leaned forward and grabbed his arm.

'I'm sorry, um… anomaly?'

Leville looked at him warily for a moment, and then smiled politely. 'I'll call up straight away. If you head towards the elevators they will be ready programmed to take you straight up.' He half bowed to Ashley, and then disappeared into the crowds of elite.

'Private deck?' Ashley asked with a cocked eyebrow. 'Was he implying what I think he was implying?'

The Doctor was frowning thoughtfully. 'I wonder what he means by anomaly…'

'Well he said it's on an observation deck,' Ashley shrugged. 'So it must be outside. I hope the champagne will be there when we get wherever it is.'

The Doctor didn't reply and began to head away through the crowds. Ashley was too busy looking around to notice at first, but then she realised he had left her side and she hurried after him, teetering unsteadily in her heels.

'Oi!' she hissed. 'Wait there! I can't move quick in these heels!'

She caught up with him at a row of silver plated doors. There were people queuing all along it and being shown into their own little booths by smartly dressed attendants. The doors would zip shut, and then shoot upwards. Ashley leaned against the Doctor and rubbed the back of her leg.

'You could wait,' she told him. 'It's not going anywhere.'

The Doctor glanced to her. 'You know I move quickly. If you can't keep up I'll just leave you down here,' he told her. 'You can prop up the bar or something.'

Ashley frowned and then noticed a short mousy looking woman eyeing her from beside her gargantuan partner. Ashley smiled politely. 'It's our honeymoon.' She smiled.

The Doctor frowned at her and then tugged her towards the waiting elevator. The attendant stepped aside automatically and allowed them to enter. Ashley looked up irritably at the Doctor as she removed one shoe and rubbed her foot.

'Some honeymoon this is turning out to be,' she muttered. The doors closed with a _whoosh.

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The two of them were in the middle of squabbling about Ashley's choice of footwear when the doors of the elevator opened again. The Doctor stepped out, frowning back at Ashley.

'Well if you knew you couldn't walk in them, why did you put them on?'

'Because the only other pair of shoes I own are those boots, and _you_ wouldn't let me wear them.'

'Well do you think they would let you come in here in those giant bug crushers of yours…' He trailed off when he looked around the observation deck. It was about the size of the console room in the TARDIS, also having a domed ceiling. But it was all glass, looking out into space. The Doctor stood and stared while Ashley prodded him in the arm.

'There's nothing wrong with my boots.' She insisted. 'They're comfortable and… I don't know what you're talking about anyway; you're still wearing those bloody Converses…' She frowned as the Doctor grabbed her face with one hand and made her look up. Her scowl instantly dissolved and her mouth dropped open at the absolutely magnificent sight before her.

'It's… I…' She stopped. 'I've gone brain dead.'

The Doctor nodded in agreement. 'Amazing, isn't it?'

The light anomaly took up half of the black space above them. It was a stunning, vivid white – but not bright enough to hurt the eye. The edges of it flickered and rippled like fire and colours swirled in the centre like oil on wet concrete. It seemed to be pulsating, and Ashley almost thought she could feel heat coming from it.

'What is it?' she asked, unable to take her eyes from it.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. 'I'm not sure,' he replied. He pulled his glasses out of his breast pocket and slipped them on, squinting and scrunching up his nose at the sight above. 'To be completely honest, I've never seen anything like it. And that's not something I say often.'

Ashley cocked her head. 'It's really beautiful,' she said, her voice slightly dreamy. 'Kind of almost makes me forget that my feet are absolutely killing me.'

The Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 'It could be a white hole.'

'That's the other end of a black hole, isn't it?'

'Pretty much,' the Doctor nodded. 'Instead of sucking in matter, it spews out matter. But this one doesn't seem to be doing much spewing.' He thought quietly for a few moments. 'You know what, this has actually got me stumped. And I don't like being stumped. It makes me feel… well, it reminds me that I don't know everything. Which is annoying because I like to tell everyone I know everything.'

'Well if it's not doing anything then there's nothing to worry about,' Ashley shrugged, pulling her eyes away from the light. 'Instead of looking for something to get ourselves killed over, we should enjoy ourselves.'

The Doctor was still looking at the anomaly. 'We might as well make the most of being here.' He agreed, although Ashley knew that he now had a completely new agenda than he had had when they first landed. He turned and smiled at her. 'I'll take you down to the free bar if you want.'

Ashley eyed him. 'You're not trying to keep me out of the way, are you?'

He laughed and held his arm out for her to take. 'Of course not. Why would I try to keep you out of the way? You said we should enjoy ourselves and enjoy ourselves we will. After all, it's not every day you find yourself in the most famous hotel in the universe.'

Ashley eyed him sceptically, but allowed herself to be led back into the elevator.


	4. Gathering Information

**A/N: I've made the chapters like, a page longer because they seemed a tad short. Let me know if you think they're too long. A lot of it is just pointless gum flapping anyway!

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**Chapter Four**

**Gathering Information**

The Doctor made a mental note that the only thing in the universe to stop Ashley asking questions about something was alcohol. Her eyes at lit up at the sight of the bar and after helping her up onto a bar stool and ordering her a nice glass of wine with a _very_ low percentage, he wandered off into the crowds. She would be fine there for a while. He estimated that she had about thirty minutes before she had drank enough to embarrass herself, and that was about the amount of time he needed to find out just what that thing outside was. He doubted it was anything to worry about but… still… Well, he wasn't going to ignore it now, was he?

He picked up a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and moved across to one of the small windows at the far end of the grand hall. He could only just see the edge of the light anomaly from this angle. He sipped on the champagne and racked his brains for what it could be.

'Magnificent, isn't it?'

The Doctor glanced around, mid-swallow, to the woman who had spoken. He smiled broadly and nodded keenly. 'Oh yes. Beautiful.'

The woman was about his height, and about four times as wide. Her blubbery cheeks swelled as she smiled at him, revealing a row of small, blunt teeth. Her blue eyes were slightly sunk back above her piggy nose and a mop of curly auburn hair topped her off. Around her shoulders was a thick fur coat, the stripy tail wrapped around her left arm and the vacant, staring head resting on her right shoulder. The Doctor grimaced at the sight of it, deciding that he instantly didn't like this woman. She saw him looking and mistook his disgust for admiration.

'It's a 21st Century Bengal,' she informed him, stroking the limp head of the tiger pelt. 'Real of course. I hear they were almost extinct even then.'

The Doctor narrowed his eyes briefly. 'Really.' He replied flatly.

'Oh yes,' the woman replied proudly. 'It cost an awful lot of money too. I've been saving it for a moment just like this one in fact. My last husband _hated_ it of course, but…' She waved a chubby, multi-ringed hand and smiled. 'That was _before_ his, ahem… heart attack.'

The Doctor's eyebrows rose dramatically. 'So, the anomaly,' he said, pointing out of the window and deciding he really wanted to change the subject. 'What's all that about then? Where do you think it came from?'

The woman glanced uninterestedly to the window and slid forward slightly, causing the Doctor to slide away slightly. 'What, the Angel's Eye?' she asked, a sparkle in her own eye. 'Well I don't think anyone knows where it came from. It just… appeared. Very mysterious.' The woman smiled. 'I like mysterious.'

The Doctor glanced around, raising his head away from the woman. 'Ah, yes. Everyone likes a good mystery, don't they? Specially me. But, well… I don't get out much and I haven't heard of the Angel's Eye before.' The woman was still advancing on him, smiling slightly. He glanced around for an escape route, but realised he was being cornered. 'So… Tell you what, it was nice talking to you but I think maybe I should be getting back to-'

'A-_hem._'

The woman looked around, frowning deeply at the interruption. The Doctor breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of Ashley standing behind her, glass of wine in hand and a smirk on her face. She cocked her head at the Doctor and smiled sweetly.

'Is everything okay, darling?' she smiled, fluttering her eyelashes.

The woman scrunched up her nose. 'Who are you?'

Ashley moved towards the Doctor, only once betraying her cool act by stumbling briefly. She reached his side and took his arm. 'Why, I'm Lady Thobron.'

'Thoruborn.' The Doctor whispered in her ear.

'Lady Thoruborn.' Ashley corrected. 'This is my husband. And you are?'

The woman scrunched her nose up again, and then turned and headed away with her head held high. Ashley turned and looked up to the Doctor, grinning. She leaned closer to him.

'I just saved you from being beasted.' She smirked.

The Doctor frowned disapprovingly. 'Actually, _darling,_' He stepped aside and brushed down the front of his suit. 'I could have handled it. It happens a lot you know, when you're as handsome as I am.'

Ashley chuckled and sipped her wine. 'Actually, it's happens a lot when you're as drop dead gorgeous as I am too,' she replied airily. 'I've just been chatting with the barman, who, by the way, was a much better catch that Aunt Bessie over there.'

'Oh yeah?' the Doctor replied, peering out of the window at the anomaly. 'And what did he have to say?'

'He was telling me that the anomaly is called the Angel's Eye.' Ashley replied.

'Already knew that.'

'And that it appeared about three months into the construction of this place,' Ashley went on. 'Apparently it was going to be a service station, but when it appeared they thought it would bring in the tourists, so they decided to up the amount of money put into it.' She smiled as the Doctor turned to her and listened intently. 'They've ran a couple of tests on it to check if it's dangerous, but apparently it's no more harmful than a light bulb. Isn't even giving off any energy.' She paused to sip her wine. 'That's according to my rather dashing barman friend.'

'Well look at you,' the Doctor half smiled. 'Nancy Drew in a nice frock.'

Ashley shrugged. 'I've been a barmaid for two years. I know who to ask to find things out. And anyway… it's a great big whopping light in the sky. It's not as if it's a secret.'

The Doctor considered this. 'Well… yes, quite right. But still…' He reached in his pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. 'It's still an excuse for a good old snoop around.' He waved the screwdriver and raised his eyebrows.

Ashley began to look disapproving, but then she grinned. She went to put her glass down on a passing tray, hesitated, and then drained the rest of the wine before putting it down. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and then looked at the Doctor, who was frowning slightly.

'What?' she replied. 'Did you expect me to leave it?'

The Doctor shook his head and took her hand. 'Come on.'

* * *

After getting through a couple of locked doors with the sonic screwdriver and blagging their way past a couple of attendants, the Doctor and Ashley found themselves in a smaller, but still very elaborate corridor. Ashley was now carrying her shoes in her hand and walking barefooted, which was a huge relief on the balls of her feet, which had felt like they were burning.

'I would absolutely _kill_ for some of that Deep Heat spray right about now,' she said, hurrying along behind the Doctor. 'Or some more wine even. That would probably do just as well.'

The Doctor looked at her questioningly. 'What, put wine on your feet?'

'Eh? Why would I put wine on my feet? No, if I drink enough of it I'll just forget about them anyway.'

The Doctor rolled his eyes. 'Of course. How stupid of me.' He slowed as they approached a single door and the two of them stopped by it. The Doctor reached inside his jacket and pulled out his stethoscope. He put them on and pressed the flat end against the door, listening intently.

'What's on the other side?' Ashley whispered. 'Is there someone there?'

The Doctor ignored her, continuing to listen. She waited for a moment, but then grew impatient when he wasn't responding. She grabbed the other end of the stethoscope and put it to her mouth.

'Anybody there?' she said.

The Doctor frowned and snatched them out of his ears. 'No, and it's a bleeding good job too the amount of noise you're making. How many glasses did you have?'

Ashley shrugged. 'Three.'

'What? You were only at the bar for five minutes.'

'I know,' Ashley sighed. 'I could have had another two.'

The Doctor studied her incredulously for a moment. 'Your liver must be made of steel.' He turned to the door and pushed the stethoscope back into his pocket, removing the sonic screwdriver instead. 'There's no one on the other side of this door, but I _was_ actually listening to something before you so rudely interrupted. There's some kind of equipment through here. Machinery. It sounded _big_ and heavy. Industrial and…' He frowned and shook the screwdriver. 'Why isn't this working?'

Ashley sighed and reached forward, pushing the door open. 'Because it's not even locked. You should really check that first you know.'

The Doctor frowned slightly and replaced the screwdriver in his pocket. 'Well sometimes the obvious just kind of…' He shook his head. 'It's not important. The important thing is what's through here…' He trailed off as he swung the door open fully. Ashley peered around the side and lowered one eyebrow at the only object inside.

'Maybe it's like… a motorised broom,' she shrugged, looking at the dusty broom leaning against the wall of the shallow closet. 'You know, for witches on the go.'

The Doctor walked inside, deep frown on his face and put his hands on the walls. 'I could have sworn that…' He pushed on the back wall, put it was solid. 'I definitely heard…' He turned to Ashley and pointed at the broom. 'There was definitely something on the other side of this door. Something mechanical. And _big_. I mean like…' He stopped and looked around again, this time a little hesitant. 'I'm sure…'

Ashley shrugged. 'Well it's not there now. Maybe your stethoscope is broken or something.'

The Doctor frowned and stepped out of the closet, shutting the door behind him. 'No, it's not that.' He frowned and looked up and down the corridor. 'Come on, I want to see what's behind the rest of these doors.'

'Excuse me.' They both looked around to see Jacobi Leville standing a little away, watching them both curiously. 'Would you mind telling me what it is you're doing out here?'

The Doctor stepped forward, draping an arm around Ashley's shoulders. 'Oh, we just got a little lost, that's all. We were just having a walk around, admiring the architecture, you know…' He trailed off, knowing that his story wasn't exactly working.

Leville lowered one wiry eyebrow. 'I would be most appreciative if you could return to the main hall.' He said. 'I understand that you are newlyweds but… well… these corridors are no place for…'

Ashley clicked on to what he meant before the Doctor did and she laughed shrilly. 'Oh no, no that's not what we were doing. We got lost, honestly. We're very sorry.' She leaned on the Doctor as she slipped her shoes back on. '_We_ would be most appreciative if you could show us the way back to the main hall Mr Leville.'

Leville eyed her for a moment, and then smiled. 'I'm sorry.' He said, stepping aside. 'I understand, this place is quite large. It's quite easy to lose your way. This way please.'

Ashley smiled and moved forward, pulling the Doctor behind her. She glanced up to him to see he was still peering at the closet thoughtfully. She flashed another smile at Leville, who still looked slightly suspicious, and followed him back down to the main hall.

* * *

After Leville returned them to the party and made sure the door they had come through was now locked to 'prevent anymore people getting lost', he wandered off to gush over other privileged guests.

'It's going to look a bit shifty if he finds us down there again,' Ashley said, eyeing the locked door behind them. 'I don't think he'll be as… well, I can't say nice because he's just a sleazy old sod in my eyes.'

The Doctor was frowning in thought. 'A broom,' he said in annoyance.

Ashley eyed him. 'I'm sorry?'

'Who keeps a broom in a broom cupboard?'

'Well, the clue is in the name really. You know, _broom_ cupboard. I doubt people keep like, bears in them or something.'

'But a room, _solely_ for a broom.' The Doctor scratched his chin and wrinkled his nose. 'I don't know about you, but I've been in a lot of broom cupboards in my time, and there's normally a lot more things inside other than just brooms. Like, buckets and… and boxes. Stuff like that. Never just _one_ broom I mean… that's just silly.'

Ashley was half smiling at him. 'A lot of broom cupboards, eh?'

He ignored her. 'It's almost like they're hiding something…'

'Or, maybe,' Ashley said, taking his arm and leading him away from the door. 'It's just a broom in a broom cupboard. Now how about we go and get that free champagne they were offering us?'

The Doctor half nodded distractedly and had obviously not heard a word she had said. 'I tell you what,' he said. 'How about you hang around in here for a while, see if you can find anything out. Maybe get in with some of the officials, the ones who were involved in the planning and all that. Flutter your eyelashes or whatever it is you lot do.'

Ashley sighed. 'Fine. I suppose just _enjoying_ ourselves was too much to ask. What are you going to do?'

'I'm going to see if I can find that big chunk of machinery that seemed to dissolve into nothingness.' The Doctor replied. 'If you see that Leville bloke coming anywhere near this door, distract him.'

'Distract him? How am I supposed to do that?'

'Oh I don't know, use your imagination. Flutter your eyelashes or whatever it is you lot do.' The Doctor turned and began to return to the locked door, but Ashley grabbed his arm.

'What if something happens?' she whispered.

The Doctor smiled and patted her on her shoulder. 'It'll be fine. Now go, enjoy yourself, _darling_. You'll be back to making the tea when we get in.' He grinned and winked.

'Yeah,' Ashley grumbled. 'And you'll be getting cyanide soup.' She stopped him from leaving for the second time and he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

'What now?' he whispered.

'Is it _really_ that important?' She stopped and sighed heavily. 'Oh who am I kidding? Big mysterious light in the sky? That's like a overfilled fish tank to a starving cat.'

'If I know anything,' the Doctor replied. 'Which I do, an awful lot of anything in fact… then I know that locked doors and strange disappearing machinery all point towards a big, huge, grizzly conspiracy. And would you really want to mingle down here not knowing what's going on behind the scenes?'

Ashley shrugged. 'Well if I had another glass of wine and that nice barman…'

The Doctor patted her shoulders and looked around once more. 'That's my girl,' he said, proving once again that he hadn't even listened to her reply. 'Go on then, get digging.'

He turned her around and pushed her gently towards the other party-goers, and he himself slipped off back towards the locked door. He was through it before Ashley had even turned around. Now left on her own, Ashley shook her shoulders and took a deep breath before heading towards the bar.


	5. A Lower Level of Class

**Chapter Five**

**A Lower Level of Class**

Ashley weaved through the crowds of sweet smelling, elaborately dressed elite who were probably wedged quite comfortably in the top half of the universe's rich list. A lot of the women there, most of whom were overweight and trussed up in unsightly fur coats and shawls, looked Ashley up and down in disgust. Most of the men, however, smiled and winked. Ashley felt like she was back working at the pub again. The only difference was that there wasn't the faint smell of vomit in the air.

She was glad to see that the barstool she had last sat on was vacant, as were the seats either side of it. She slid onto it, trying to look casual, but it was practically impossible to climb up looking cool with those bloody shoes on her feet. At last she managed it and turned to the bar, jumping slightly when she was confronted with a broadly smiling face.

'Back again so soon?' the handsome barman smiled. 'This party mustn't be as great as the TV made it out to be.'

Ashley smiled, brushing her hair from her face. The barman was young, probably about her age and had blonde spiky hair that was only a little less crazy than the Doctor's. He had a dark cast over his chin from where he probably hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and bright blue eyes that could probably have melted the legs of Margaret Thatcher if used correctly. Immediately, Ashley regressed to fourteen years old and giggled.

'Same again then?' he smiled, already pushing a glass of pink wine in front of her.

'Thank you,' Ashley smiled, picking up the glass. She fumbled with it, but managed to save herself the embarrassment of spilling it. She flushed red, and then took a drink. The barman watched her, smiling.

'I'm Rynian.'

Ashley smiled. 'Rynian?' she tested.

'Yeah. I'm figuring either my parents couldn't spell Ryan, or my mother was still high on painkillers when she named me. But still, it's just a name. Not as if I have to live my whole life with it, eh?'

Ashley laughed a little too loudly, and then quickly stopped herself. She pulled herself together, wondering why the hell she had resorted to such a loser at the sight of a pretty man, and cocked her head. 'I'm Ashley. Uh… Lady Thoroburn. Thoruborn. Lady Ashley Thoruborn.' She flushed at her mix up.

Rynian smiled broadly and leaned forward. 'Don't worry,' he whispered. 'I won't tell.'

Ashley breathed out a sigh of relief. 'Thanks. God I'm terrible at this fake name stuff. I always mess it up.'

Rynian glanced up and down the bar, either to see if anyone else needed serving or checking who was nearby. There was neither. 'You don't look like you're part of this crowd anyway,' he told her. 'You're too normal.'

Ashley laughed. 'Well that just shows you how much you don't know me.' She replied, raising the glass. 'I think I've actually forgotten the meaning of normal in the past few months.'

Rynian nodded, still eyeing her. 'So, you're just a sponger then, huh? Blag yourself a few free drinks?'

'Well that's what it was supposed to be. But then the Doctor - the bloke I'm here with – has found something to mess about with. As usual.' She paused and looked down guiltily. 'He would kill me if he found out I'd just blown our cover to you.'

Rynian chuckled. 'Why would I care? I don't get paid enough to. To be honest, I'm glad that you're not one of these posh sods. Means you won't start pulling me up about not shaving this morning.'

'Oh I like it,' Ashley replied, and then blushed. 'I mean… you know, it suits you. Like… it looks nice. In general.' She stopped and took a large gulp from her glass, glancing around the bar. She noticed the large woman with the Bengal Tiger wrapped around her shoulders staring at her with a screwed up nose.

'You know, if you're sick of this lot,' Rynian said quietly, leaning over the bar. 'I know where there's a better party.'

Ashley glanced to him, smiling. 'I can't exactly leave.' She told him. 'My friend will be wondering where I've gone.'

'Oh yeah, your friend,' he pretended to look troubled. 'He is just your _friend_, right?'

Ashley went pink and giggled. 'Well, _yes_.'

'If he's your friend, then he'd want you to have fun, yeah?'

'Well, yeah… but he's in the middle of-'

'Then there's nothing to it!' Rynian smiled broadly. 'Tell you what. Meet me at the service doors in ten minutes. You can come down to the staff party.'

Ashley eyed him. 'What makes you think I want to go to a staff party when I could be up here mingling with the elite and drinking free wine?'

Rynian smirked. 'Because there are no elite downstairs and we have free beer.'

She eyed him over the top of her glass. 'I'll have to find my friend first.' She said. 'Tell you what, you wait up here. I'll be back.'

Rynian smiled and watched as she slid down from her stool. She began to head away, feeling quite happy with herself that she had managed to have a half-successful flirt, and then her left foot betrayed her and she stumbled into a broad, smartly dressed man. She apologised, glanced around in embarrassment, and hobbled away.

* * *

A broom. One broom. A lonesome broom standing in a closet that could hold lots of things other than a singular broom. There could have been bottles of bleach, maybe some paint, even a mop! If it had been a mop instead of a broom then he would have been as suspicious. No one had a 'mop closet', but a broom closet with only one broom? That was even more rare.

The Doctor stepped inside the closet and frowned at it. There were no screws or runners, or marks along the floor or walls suggesting a secret door or anything. He picked up the broom and shook it, but it proved itself just to be a broom. A brand new broom in fact, which just made him even more suspicious.

'Who keeps a broom in a broom closet?' he muttered for the fifth time, still no closer to the answer. He put the broom aside and pulled out the sonic screwdriver, turning it on and moving it across the back wall. His face lit up.

'Ah, see! You can't get anything past me. You tried too hard to cover it…' His brow creased as the signal he was receiving abruptly changed. 'Oh… hang on a minute.'

A moment ago he had been getting readings satellite signals and power surges and the like, but all of a sudden they had all just stopped. Satellite signals and power surges didn't just _stop_. It wasn't like they could just be turned off. The Doctor shook the sonic screwdriver and tried again.

'Come on, come on,' he grumbled, shaking the screwdriver like a pen that was starting to run out. 'What are you doing? Work!'

He was just about to try to scan again when he heard approaching footsteps. With a kind of twirly skip, he tucked the screwdriver away and poked his head out of the door, just to see Jacobi Leville emerge around the corner. Thankfully he was too concerned with his feet and the phone in his hand to see the Doctor, so he quietly closed the door over and pressed his ear against the wood.

'Yes, yes I understand that, but I was told those doors would stay locked at all times.' Leville was saying. 'There are over three hundred people on the premises, and you can't expect none of them to resist having a snoop around. I found two of them in the corridor that leads down to the generator and another bunch of them on their way down to the basement! What's the use of doors with locks on them if they're just going to be…'

He stopped, cut off by whoever he was talking too. He stopped walking also, right outside of the broom closet. The Doctor remained perfectly still and silent, listening carefully.

'Yes, of course,' Leville said quietly in a sulky tone as if he had just been told off. 'I apologise of course, but… Yes. Yes I know it's my responsibility but… If you could just…' The pause was longer this time. 'Okay. Yes. Yes of course it will be ready, but if you could just get them to up the security then…' Another long pause. 'Don't worry about it. Everything will be ready for your arrival.'

There was a beep as Leville hung up the phone. The Doctor expected him to continue down the corridor, but he remained where he was. The Doctor stepped back when the handle began to turn on the door. He glanced around for a weapon, but only saw the broom. He picked it up and readied himself. The door handle stopped turning. There was an exasperated sigh on the other side, and then the handle relaxed and the sound of Leville's footsteps heading away followed. The Doctor waited until he could hear nothing, then looked at the broom with a grin and told it, 'I could kiss you.'


	6. Reservations

**Chapter Six**

**Reservations**

Ashley placed her empty glass down on a passing tray and quickly scooped up another that was passing the other way. She smiled contentedly when she realised that it was champagne and took a sip. Her short chat with the barman had left her slightly giddy. She would have loved to go with him, but for all she knew this 'party' didn't even exist. He could just be some kind of outer space sleaze, like most barmen were. Well, most of the barmen where she came from were anyway. Well, without the outer space part.

Besides, she wanted to tell the Doctor before she flounced off with a pretty boy. She had learned only bad things come of wandering off with strangers in this universe, some worse than others. Also there was the possibility of her dancing away and getting drunk while the Doctor was getting tortured by a bunch of knee-high warmongers. It had happened before.

'Good evening,' a polite voice interrupted her thoughts. She automatically turned to the voice and smiled politely, but her smile faltered at the sight before her.

The creature was dressed in a smart black tux, similar to the Doctor's, although instead of a human head topping it off, there just seemed to be this strange transparent membrane that was vaguely head-shaped, and that seemed to ripple constantly. She couldn't see any eyes or a mouth or any other kind of essential features your would expect to see on a head, only a dull pink glow from somewhere inside the membrane. Her mouth went a little dry and she was suddenly unable to speak.

'I'm Therzaquidell-' the surname that followed just seemed to be a series of grunts and squeaks. 'I saw you standing here on your lonesome and I was wondering if you were okay?'

Ashley blinked at the creature and willed herself to speak. Finally, she managed to croak out, 'I'm fine. Fine. So fine.'

The pink glow brightened. 'Ah, very good. Are you enjoying yourself?'

Ashley squinted at the creature, wondering where its voice was coming from. It had no mouth… It was only when it coughed politely that she realised she had been staring. 'Oh, I'm sorry,' she smiled. 'Just a bit too much of the old free champers.' She waved the glass and laughed nervously. 'I am having a lovely time, are you? I'm Lady Thoruborn by the way.' She held out her hand to shake before she had even thought about it.

Therzaquidell took her hand with a blob of transparent matter that emerged from one of his sleeves and shook it. It felt like putting your hand in a bowlful of beaten eggs, only with a bit more substance to it. Ashley refrained from grimacing, knowing that it would be very rude.

'Wonderful to meet you,' the blob said politely. 'I've heard a lot about your husband. Is he around?' It seemed like the blob was looking around, but it didn't have any eyes. Ashley fancied that it was just kind of checking the air.

'I'm not sure where he is to be honest,' Ashley replied, not happy about still having the blob holding her hand. 'He's got a habit of disappearing like that. You'd think he was on another planet half the time.'

The blob laughed. 'Well, all males are like that, aren't they?'

Ashley thought she was going to explode if she had to do any more polite laughter. 'I'll be sure to tell him to come and find you when he gets back. What was your name again?'

'Ashley! Oh, Ashley you'll never guess what I heard!'

Ashley looked around in surprise to see the Doctor standing behind her, his eyes glittering and his grin massive. In his hand, he held a broom. Therzaquidell looked – or turned its head rather – to the Doctor and the pink glow turned slightly bluish. Ashley put it down to confusion.

'What did I tell you, eh?' the Doctor carried on, apparently oblivious to the blob's presence. 'No one keeps brooms in a broom closet. I scanned it and started getting _hundreds_ of signals and readings, but then they cut off just like that-' He clicked his fingers loudly, making the other two flinch. 'But before I could get it back I heard someone coming and it was _Leville_ – never trust a man with a 'tache in my opinion, they're always up to something. Hiding something, mostly. Anyway, he was on the phone and-'

Ashley laughed loudly and shrilly, making him stop abruptly and look at her as if she had gone insane. 'Oh, _darling_,' she cried, suddenly aware how much she sounded like she was out of some low budget B-movie set in the 1920s. 'You're so _funny_.' She turned to the blob man, who was now quite a strange shade of purple, and laughed again. 'He's always doing things like this, coming up with outrageous stories about silly little things.' She grabbed the Doctor's arm and squeezed it a little tighter than she had to. 'It's why I married him.'

The Doctor continued to look at her as if she was insane, and then finally realised what she was doing. He looked at the blob man in front of him, and then to the broom. Then he laughed himself. 'Yes, sorry about that I couldn't resist.' He thrust the broom into the hands of a passing waiter, who looked at it in bewilderment before carrying on. 'Sharp as a knife this one,' the Doctor continued, putting his arm around Ashley's shoulder. 'Doesn't miss a trick. Can't pull the wool over her eyes.'

Ashley shrugged him off, the fake smile hurting her cheeks. 'That's enough of the similes.'

'They're not similes.' The Doctor replied, his smile as equally as painful looking.

'Lord Thoruborn,' the blob man said, slowly returning to the pinky colour. 'I hope you don't mind that I've been keeping your wife company.'

'Not at all!' the Doctor beamed. 'As a matter of fact, you can take her home if you like! Give me a bit peace and quiet.'

Ashley turned and glared at him. 'Oh you crack me _up_.' She said the last word through gritted teeth and kicked him subtly in the shin.

'Ha ha,' the Doctor grimaced briefly at the pain. 'Yes, quite.'

Therzaquidell was already beginning to edge away. 'Yes, well it was nice to meet you both. I must be getting back to my own concubine.'

'Yes, it was lovely to meet you too.' The Doctor waved. 'Have a good night!'

The blob man ducked away and hurried off, disappearing through the forest of animal furs and black tuxes. Ashley turned on the Doctor angrily. 'Oh well done,' she hissed. 'Come running up here with a bloody broom, do you want to be found out or something?'

The Doctor grabbed her arms, grinning. 'Something's going to happen.' He told her.

'You're damn right something's going to happen,' Ashley hissed. 'We're going to get chucked out!'

The Doctor shook his head impatiently. 'I heard Jacobi Leville talking to someone on a phone. At first he was just complaining about security, which is fair enough, but then he was talking about getting things _ready_.' He waited for a shocked response, but Ashley only shrugged. 'Ready?' he repeated. 'Ready for the big thing that is going to happen?'

'What big thing will that be?' Ashley asked.

'I don't know,' the Doctor replied, dropping his hands by his side. 'But I bet you it's got something to do with that big light thing in the sky.'

Ashley regarded him for a moment. 'Okay then. What now?'

The Doctor glanced around, rubbing the back of his neck. 'Did you find anything out?'

Ashley shrugged innocently. 'Oh, just that there's a party downstairs.'

'There's a party up here.'

'The barman invited me. I told him I'd go back and-'

The Doctor took her hand and began to lead her away. 'Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you wander off into basements with strange men.'

'Oh but it's okay for me to get inside a blue box with a strange man,' Ashley smirked, following him.

The Doctor frowned. 'That's different.'

Ashley snorted. 'Right, okay.' She frowned as she noticed that they were heading for the double doors where they had first entered. 'Hey, where are we going?'

'I need to get some things from the TARDIS.' He replied. 'I don't trust leaving you on your own. You'll either run off with the barman or get into a barny with Madame Tiger-Murderer who has done nothing but give you daggers all night.'

Ashley glanced around. 'She has? I'll wrap that bloody tiger around her neck…'

'Exactly. Plus I need you to help me carry a few things.'

Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn't complain. She followed him out of the doors and back down towards where the TARDIS was parked.

* * *

'Maybe it got towed.' Ashley suggested as they stared at the blank spot where the TARDIS had been standing. 'Because it _was_ slap bang in the middle of the corridor. Some people don't like stuff like that.'

The Doctor ran to the spot where it had been. 'Where is she? What have they done? Where is she?'

'Calm down, Doctor,' Ashley said. 'It's a giant blue box; I doubt it could have gotten far. Although if someone was inside it would be anywhere really… We'll go to um… Does this place have a lost and found?'

The Doctor was still looking around, completely bewildered. 'Who would take the TARDIS? Why would someone steal my TARDIS?'

'Because it's a time machine.' Ashley reminded him.

'Well… yes, but… why _mine_?'

Ashley rolled her eyes. 'Standing here and moaning about it isn't going to make it magically reappear.' She pulled on his arm. 'Come on, we'll ask someone. They probably just moved it somewhere. It'll have been making the place look untidy. It'll be fine, seriously.'

The Doctor looked hesitant to leave the spot, but he did so anyway, grumbling as Ashley led him away. Jacobi Leville turned the corner and watched them go, massaging his head and gritting his teeth. He pulled the phone from his pocket and punched in one number.

'Yes?' he said, when someone answered. 'I checked them. No they're not the Thoruborns. The Thoruborns decided to go somewhere else for their honeymoon. No I'm not quite sure who they are I… Yes, I understand that but we can't just… Okay. Yes we have the box... No we can't get in. I just… Ummhmm… right. Okay, understood.' He flipped the phone closed and sighed heavily through his nostrils.

If he had known it was going to be this hard, he wouldn't have took the job in the first place.

* * *

Rynian wiped his hands on a cloth and then slipped out of the door behind the bar. He wasn't surprised to hear his phone beeping mere seconds later. He answered it quickly, glancing around to check he was alone.

'Yeah?' he said quietly.

'Did you speak to her?' Leville sounded panicky, but that was nothing new. 'The red haired girl.'

'Yeah,' Rynian replied. 'She told me that she's not really Lady Thoruborn. She couldn't even pronounce the name for crying out loud. She said her name was Ashley. Didn't get a surname.'

'Okay, at least that's a step in the right direction. What about the man?'

'I didn't talk to him, but she said he was a doctor. I told her there was a party downstairs so I could get her out of the way, but she said she had to go and find that doctor or whoever he is. She said she would come back though.'

'That seems unlikely,' Leville replied with a snort. 'I've just seen them both. They know their ship is missing, which probably means they'll be a little more alert. If she suddenly disappears her doctor friend will be even more suspicious.' He sighed heavily. 'I can't believe this is happening. Wait until I get my hands on the morons who let them in…'

'Look, calm down, Jacobi,' Rynian told him. 'It's going to be fine. We've got their ship, right? The outer doors are sealed so they can't get out. They've already been scanned and they haven't got any teleporters or anything. In…' He paused to glance at his watch. 'Fifty-two minutes we won't have to worry about them anyway. We won't have to worry about anything anymore.'

Leville was quiet for a moment. 'I suppose you're right. _They_ aren't very happy though. I've just spoken to them. They want everything to go smoothly, or they won't bring our payment through.'

Rynian rubbed his forehead. 'Look, just don't worry about it. They're nobodies, okay? Just a couple of freeloaders. Just chill out, Jacobi.'

Leville sighed again. 'Right you are, Rynian. And I wish you wouldn't call me by my first name. It's quite rude to refer to your father in such a manner.'

Rynian rolled his eyes. 'Sorry, dad.'

'And 'dad' isn't much better,' Leville replied irritably. 'Okay. Get back behind the bar. If she comes back on her own, get her away from the main gathering. We can use her as bait, and when her doctor friend comes to find her we can keep them out trouble until the arrival.'

'Right, dad.'

'And Rynian?'

'Yeah?'

'Remember to shave tomorrow, will you?'

Rynian rolled his eyes and hung up the phone, pushing it back in his pocket. His dad was such a grouch. He hoped that when all this was over he would cheer up a bit.


	7. Through the Service Doors

**A/N: Wheesh this story is going faster than a fat guy up a chocolate tree xD I'll probably have it all up by tomorrow night. I hope no one is getting annoyed with the amount of spam I'm pouring into your inboxes lol. **

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**Chapter Seven**

**Through the Service Doors**

'Where's my nice barman gone?' Ashley pouted, stretching her neck to see over and around the people who were blocking her view of the bar.

'Where's my TARDIS gone, more like.' The Doctor frowned. 'I mean, really. To anyone else it's just a big chunk of wood. It's not _meant_ to look important! Why in Rassilon would anyone want to take it?'

'Why in what?' Ashley cocked an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head irritably. 'There's something very, very sketchy going on around here. Disappearing signals, brooms, TARDIS theft…' He shook his head. 'I'm not liking it.'

'I thought you liked a good mystery?'

'Not when it involves someone stealing my TARDIS. I think we should find our friend Mr Leville and have a few words with him.'

'Okay, but he's not going to opening admit to taking it, is he? If he's got it he's going to go all Manuel on us.'

The Doctor looked at her quizzically. 'I'm sorry?'

'You know, _I know nothing_!' She giggled at her pathetic impression.

'Oh yes. Right.' The Doctor looked around again, finding it much easier than her to see their surroundings being taller and all. 'Is that your barman?' he asked. 'Blonde hair? Rat on his chin?'

Ashley keenly peered around. 'Oh yeah. He's called Rynian.'

'Rynian? I've met a Rynian before.' The Doctor said distractedly, and then pushed her forward. 'Go on then, ask him if he's seen anyone with a big blue box.'

Ashley turned to him, flustered. 'Why me? It's your box. I'm going to look either like an alcoholic or totally desperate if I go over there again.'

'I thought that was what you lot tried to look like,' the Doctor answered. He nudged her again. 'Go on. I'm going to keep my eyes open for Mr Leville.'

Ashley frowned at him, and then headed towards the bar, muttering irritably. The Doctor watched her, making sure she got to her destination without being interrupted, and then set about looking for Mr Leville. Instinct told him that he wouldn't be far. Well, that was granted that Mr Leville actually knew what the TARDIS was anyway. Which, actually, was quite unlikely, but the Doctor had learned not to underestimate a situation.

It didn't take him long to spot Leville. He was slipping through the now quite merry party-goers towards the door that lead to the now infamous broom cupboard. The Doctor began to make his way over but his progress was slow as he wriggled his way through everyone. He just caught a glimpse of Leville unlocking the door when two blank, orange eyes suddenly blocked his line of sight. The Doctor recoiled in surprise, and then stifled a groan when he saw Madame Tiger-Killer standing in front of him.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' the Doctor muttered, trying to steer around her. She blocked his path, as he had been expecting. 'I don't mean to be rude, but I was on my way to the little boy's room…'

'That wife of yours,' she interrupted, cocking her head slightly. 'How long have you been married?'

The Doctor waved a dismissive hand and tried to see towards the door again. 'Oh, not long. Or too long. Marriage is like that, isn't it? Days seem like years. Now if you don't mind-'

'She's been flirting with that barman all night,' the woman told him. 'If I were you I would keep an eye on her. She's trouble.'

'Oh yes, trouble,' the Doctor replied, not entirely listening. 'We all like a bit of trouble, don't we?'

'She's not proper aristocracy either,' the woman continued, idly stroking the dead tiger on her shoulder. 'You can tell by her face. She's… well, she has that common look about her. And her dress…'

'Yes, lovely isn't it?' the Doctor nudged her aside as he caught sight of Leville briefly through the crowds. 'Excuse me.'

The woman watched him go, scowling. 'I'll keep an eye on her for you.' She called after him. She watched after him briefly, and then battled her way towards the bar.

* * *

Ashley leaned over the bar a little and frowned. Rynian had been replaced with a younger, slightly rodent like man who was currently fumbling with a corkscrew and a bottle of champagne. Two suited men were grumbling irritably at the time it was taking him to open it. Eventually, one of them just grabbed the bottle and opened it himself. It popped loudly, and someone (who sounded quite intoxicated) cheered.

Ashley tapped her fingers on the bar and wondered if Rynian had just gone off to his party without her. He did tell her to meet him in ten minutes and it had been about twenty now. But women were _supposed_ to be late. It was their thing. Did he not know that? She was in the middle of pondering whether or not to ask one of the waiters if they had seen the TARDIS, when she felt a warm hand wrap around the top of her arm and a tickly whisper in her ear.

'You still coming then?'

Ashley glanced around in surprise, instinctively pulling her arm out of the grip. She was actually surprised to see Rynian standing there, smiling at her. She smiled back. 'Actually,' she replied. 'I just wanted to ask you something.'

Rynian glanced around. 'Well, could you ask me somewhere else? I'll get killed if they see me on this side of the bar.'

Ashley hesitated, and then decided the Doctor wouldn't have sent her over alone if there was any danger in it. And plus, she could shoot fire out of her hands. If this bloke started getting a bit too touchy-feely, she was sure she could handle it.

'Okay.' She shrugged. 'Where?'

Rynian grinned and nodded behind him. 'Just through the service doors. Don't worry, no one will notice.'

Ashley half smiled and followed him across the room. She wondered what she would look like if anyone _did_ notice her – slipping off through the service doors with the handsome barman. She stifled a giggle. She couldn't wait to tell Manny when she saw him again. She would leave out the more outer-worldly parts of course. Rynian opened the door for her and she passed through. She was surprised in the sudden change of light – it was actually quite dark. There was a single regular wall light behind a set of metal shelves, and the strip lights on the ceiling were red. She glanced around, bewildered by the stark change from the elaborate décor outside, and then turned to see Rynian standing quite close. She stepped away and smiled.

'You won't get sacked if someone catches you out here with me?' she asked.

He waved a hand. 'Nah. No one comes out here much anyway. This is more like… a kind of storage area.' He pointed ahead, down a corridor that seemed to diminish into blackness. 'That leads down to the basement, and the generator rooms. Only the mechanics really come down here. Not many of them around tonight.'

Ashley laughed nervously. 'Well then let's hope nothing breaks down.'

Rynian smiled again, but there was something strange in it. He stepped towards her. 'So, what did you want to ask me?'

Ashley felt herself flush. 'Well, this is going to sound weird but… My friend and I have this, um… this box-'

Rynian's eyebrows rose. 'A blue box? Big blue thing?' He held his hands out but was far off in his estimate of the size of the actual TARDIS. She knew what he meant though and her eyes lit up.

'Yes! Do you know where it is?'

'They had to move it because it was blocking the corridor,' Rynian told her. 'I heard they stuck it in one of the vacant rooms because they weren't quite sure what it was. I can find out which room it is if you like.'

'Oh that would be great,' Ashley beamed, breathing a sigh of relief. 'The Doctor was going mental. He's… well, he's quite partial to it. Thank you, he'll be chuffed when I tell him.' She started to go, but was surprised when Rynian grabbed her arm again. She looked around, slightly apprehensive, but he was still smiling.

'You're going?' he asked.

She looked at him for a moment and decided she wasn't that keen on him after all. There was something strange about him. 'I've got to get back.' She tried to pull away again, but his grip hardened.

'You should come down to this party with me,' he insisted. 'Seriously. You'll love it.'

Ashley frowned and tried to pull away again. 'Look, just let go of me.' She insisted.

Rynian only grinned and pulled her towards him. In panic, Ashley tried to bat him away, catching his face with the palm of her hand. The _slap_ was loud and Rynian looked briefly furious, but the smile returned. 'Whoa, whoa,' he told her, grabbing both her wrists. 'Calm yourself down, sweetheart!'

Ashley struggled with him. 'Get the hell off me!' she cried.

Rynian grabbed both her hands in one of his and pushed his free hand over her mouth. He pushed her up against the shelf, causing a few pots and pans to clatter to the floor. He was surprisingly strong. Ashley struggled, but it was completely useless.

'Sshh, sshh, sshh,' he whispered. 'Now then, we don't want you interrupting the party, do we?'

Ashley scowled. She felt her hands begin to heat up. Rynian did too, as he looked down at them in bewilderment. Ashley's right knee shot up and slammed into his crotch. With a breathy wheeze, Rynian lost his grip and stumbled backwards. Ashley turned and hurried towards the doors, but the heel of her left shoe slipped on the floor and she fell hard. She pushed herself up again and risked a glance behind her. Rynian was looming over her, large steel pan in his hand. Ashley held her hand up to him and concentrated on the warmth she was feeling all over her. Rynian let out a pained cry and let go of the pan. It clattered to the floor, now glowing a dull orange.

'How the hell did you do that?' Rynian demanded, clutching his burned hand.

Ashley only scowled and moved her hand to him. Seeing what she was doing, he pulled back his foot and then shot it forward. It collided with the side of her head and she went limp.


	8. Echo

**A/N: OH my GOD! Right, today at uni we've been doing glass work, so we went to the local glass centre and there I go, mooching in with my goggles on and stuff, and this guy just appears out of nowhere and says (in a WONDERFUL scottish accent) 'I'll be taking your class today', and he was the spitting frigging image of David Tennant. NO lie. I'm still in shock now... I actually burned my palm on this bloody hot iron stick thing because I was too busy oogling him. You wouldn't believe how much he looks like him... and he's scottish!! If that's not a reason to get up in the morning, i don't know what is! (-enter fangirl sigh here-)  


* * *

**

**Chapter Eight**

**Echo**

The Doctor stood in the corridor and looked both ways. He could have been certain that Leville had passed through here, but there was absolutely no sign of him. He hadn't been that far behind. The Doctor had estimated that he would have been halfway down the corridor by now.

He suddenly had that awful feeling that he had walked right into a trap.

The Doctor toyed with the idea of going back to find Ashley, but then decided that she was probably perfectly happy at the bar with her new fancy barman. He strode down the corridor, ignoring the doors on either side of him and deciding it was about time to find out where this corridor actually led. It was the only door that had three regular locks and a laser seal on it, so there must be something of importance down here.

He turned the corner, and immediately skidded to a halt with a startled cry. 'Whoa!'

The creature standing in the centre of the corridor snapped its grotesque, slimy head around to him and growled. Its teeth were hooked and had a green tint. Its four eyes were beady and close together, similar to a spider. Its body was covered in cockroach-like plates. Instead of two legs and two arms, it had four arms – all of which were finished with razor sharp claws. The Doctor knew what it was immediately.

'A Verschling!' he blurted. 'But… that's _impossible_! Your lot are gone!'

The creature only growled again in response, and then turned fully and lunged towards him. It was all happening so quickly, and the Doctor had no time to react. He didn't even have time to pull out his sonic screwdriver. The only thing he could do, which he felt absolutely pathetic for doing, was to cower behind his arms and wait for the impact.

A few seconds passed, and nothing much happened.

The Doctor risked a glance over his arm, and then straightened up in bewilderment. The corridor was empty. He looked around, doing three or four complete turns, and frowned in utter confusion.

* * *

It had taken the Doctor a little while to regroup after the incident in the corridor, but he had taken it as a warning not to carry on any further – just yet, anyway – and decided to head back to find Ashley. If there were Verschlings involved, which was impossible but apparently true, they had to get everyone out of here as quick as they could.

The fact that Ashley or her barman friend were not at the bar only upped his apprehension. He told himself that perhaps he had just helped her find the TARDIS, but then concluded that it was unlikely. He turned to start searching for the party but found himself, for the third time since they had landed in the hotel, face to face with Madame Tiger-Killer.

'I was wondering where you had got to,' she smiled, sweeping something invisible from his shoulder.

'Look, miss,' the Doctor said impatiently. 'I get that I look absolutely brilliant in a suit, but I'm not interested, okay? I'm a bit busy looking for my friend.'

The woman snorted unflatteringly. 'You mean your wife? Or should I say your _whore_ of a wife.'

The Doctor looked at her in surprise. 'Excuse me?'

'I just saw her going through the service doors with that barman,' she said icily. 'Lot of noise followed too. If I were you I'd file for a divorce as soon as you can. I know a wonderful lawyer…'

'Where are the service doors?' the Doctor asked, holing onto her shoulders, and then recoiling at the touch of the Tiger fur.

The woman looked alarmed at his urgency. 'Well, over by the bar of course…'

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder and nodded. 'Right. Thank you very much, Mrs…'

The woman laughed. 'It's _miss_ actually. Miss Wimpydimple.'

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. 'Wimpydimple?'

'Oh yes. It's just begging to be changed,' the woman replied. 'To Thoruborn, perhaps?'

The Doctor stepped away. 'Thank you for your help, Miss Wimpydimple. Oh, and lose the fur. It's quite disgusting.'

Miss Wimpydimple watched him leave, completely astonished, and then looked down at the tiger head on her shoulder. She frowned and stroked it. 'No taste.' She muttered, and returned to the party.

The Doctor didn't bother being polite and apologising for shoving through the party guests. Some called to him in annoyance but he ignored them and headed straight for the service doors. He burst through them and scanned the area. It was dark, with red strip lights on the ceiling. The shelves to the right had been disturbed. A few pots and pans lay on the floor. He stooped down and touched the nearest one with his fingers. It was warm.

He rose again, slowly, his brow darkening. He could almost see what had happened; the barman overpowering Ashley. Probably knocking her out. He wouldn't have taken her back out into the main hall as there were too many people. That only left one direction. The Doctor started ahead.

'I don't think that would be a good idea,' an apologetic voice told him. 'You see, the corridors get a little… confusing down that way. It's easy to get lost if you're not used to the layout.'

The Doctor whirled around to see Leville standing by the service doors, actually looking quite timid. He was fidgeting with a thin black phone in his hands.

'Where is she?' the Doctor demanded through gritted teeth.

'Who do you mean?' Leville queried innocently. 'I only ask because you referred to your blue box… the um, TARDIS? As a she.'

'You know fine well who I mean.' The Doctor growled. 'If you've hurt her…'

'I haven't touched her,' Leville replied honestly. 'It's my son who you need to direct your threats at.'

The Doctor eyed him for a moment. 'The barman is your son.' He realised. 'You had this planned from the beginning.'

'Rynian has always been a handsome boy,' Leville nodded. 'It doesn't take him long to capture the attention of pretty girls. Although he does have a bit of a temper on him. His relationships never last very long.'

The Doctor moved forward, his finger springing up in Leville's face. 'I don't know what you're doing here, but I'm going to put a stop to it. You're messing with things you don't understand. People will get hurt.'

'Oh, I understand quite well what I'm _messing with_, as you so crudely put it.' Leville swept a hand over his neat hair. 'And I'm also quite aware that people will be hurt. I'm counting on it, in fact.'

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. 'I saw a Verschling. In the corridors. Then it just vanished into thin air.'

Leville chuckled. 'Oh yes, that will happen for a little while. Echoes is the right term, I think. Although to be honest Rynian understands the whole process a little better than I do. I've never been good with that side of things.'

'Echoes…' the Doctor pondered over this for a moment, and then everything began to fall into place. 'The echoes are coming in through the Angel's Eye, aren't they? You're planning on bringing Verschlings through into this dimension, aren't you?'

Leville smiled wanly. 'You're clever. I suppose that's why you became a doctor, is it?'

'I'm not _a_ doctor,' the Doctor growled. 'I'm _the_ Doctor. And I'm ordering you to end this right now. Whatever you think the outcome is going to be, you're wrong. You'll end up dead, just like everyone else.'

'Oh that's unlikely,' Leville replied. 'You see, Rynian and I weren't in the details we sent. And actually, seeing as you and your friend are not Lord and Lady Thoruborn, then you won't be in the details either. Which is why we have to resort to such extreme measures.'

'What details?' the Doctor frowned.

'I think I've shared enough with you.' Leville smiled smugly. 'Rynian? About now would be good.'

The Doctor only caught a glimpse of the blonde barman just before a strong arm wrapped around his neck, and another under his arm. The Doctor struggled, but Rynian was surprisingly strong and began to drag him backwards into the dark corridor.

'Leville, don't do this!' the Doctor warned. 'The Verschlings are liars! Whatever they've promised you they won't give it!'

Leville only continued to smile gently, following the Doctor as he was dragged away. He opened the phone, pressed a button, and put it to his ear. 'We have them both.' He said. 'Yes, everything is under control. Twenty minutes… yes. I understand.' He hung up, his eyes not leaving the Doctors. 'They want them both alive.' He told his son. 'They'll be hungry when they get here.'


	9. Means and Motives

**A/N: Two chapters for you all, cos you're all awesome and I'm very happy :D

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**

**Chapter Nine**

**Means and Motives**

The first thing Ashley became aware of as she woke was the throbbing pain in her jaw. Actually it was probably the thing that woke her up. The whole left side of her jaw felt stiff and painful. As she automatically flexed it, a jolt of pain racked through her teeth and she cried out in agony.

'Take it easy,' the Doctor told her gently. 'You've been out for a while.'

Ashley ignored his suggestion and sat up quickly. A little too quickly. Black spots threatened her eyes, but it was hard to see them in the darkness of the room. She groped around until she found the Doctor's hand and looked around for him. His face was nothing but a pale blur in front of her.

'Wha… what happened?' she mumbled, but her words were slurred from her swollen jaw. 'Ow my jaw…'

She felt the Doctor's gentle hand on the side of her head. 'Do you feel sick? Dizzy?'

'No, just my frigging jaw… ow…' Ashley rubbed it, and soon realised that hadn't been her best decision. 'That bastard kicked me.'

'I gathered,' the Doctor replied. 'You've got one hell of a lump on your face.'

'Oh great,' Ashley grumbled. 'Swollen face. I bet I look like a chipmunk.'

'You look lovely,' the Doctor replied distractedly. He moved away from her and she squinted to keep sight of him, but it was too dark.

'Where are we then?' she asked with a groan, pushing herself to her feet. 'I'm going to take a wild guess and say that there's something someone doesn't want us to know about.'

'Actually, it's your barman friend and Mr Leville. A good old-fashioned father and son massacre as I've gathered.'

Ashley frowned. 'Rynian is Leville's son? Wow, didn't see that coming. They look nothing like each other.'

'No one really looks like their parents anymore in the 51st Century. Not with all the designer baby thing going around.'

'You mean that actually took off?'

'Yup. Nice for ugly people who don't want to spread the genes.'

Ashley pushed her hair back off her face and wiped her head. 'That's not very nice, Doctor.'

'Sorry. I'm not in a very nice mood.'

Ashley stood in the disorientating blackness, waiting for the Doctor to explain to her what was going on. She decided not to press him for answers, simply because her head was hurting almost as much as her jaw. She put that pain down to the amount of wine she had consumed in the past hour or so.

'Verschlings.' The Doctor said finally.

'What?' Ashley frowned, caught off guard.

'Verschlings. They were warmongers. They liked to declare war on planets that had little or no defence and then kill every living thing they found. They were rounded up by the Time Lords years and years ago and banished from this universe.'

Ashley was quiet for a moment. 'What's that got to do with what's happening here?'

The Doctor sighed, but not with exasperation or impatience. He just sounded genuinely tired. 'The Angel's Eye must be a weak spot between this universe and the next. The Verschlings must have been trying to contact someone from this universe through it, and got in touch with Leville. They've made a deal with him. What kind of deal, I don't know and don't particularly want to know, but part of it is to bring the Verschlings back to this universe. That can't happen.'

'There's more than one universe?' Ashley asked, confused. 'Like… other dimensions and stuff?'

The Doctor appeared by her side again, despite the fact she hadn't heard him moving at all. He leaned against the wall beside her. 'Imagine you have a sheet of paper,' he said. 'And you soak it in water. Drop a spot of ink in the centre of the paper and it bleeds out, right?'

Ashley nodded. 'Right.'

'Now the universe is just like that. Smaller universes run off this one like ink bleeding out. There's an infinite number. Parallel dimensions where, say… Hitler was never born or… or the Spice Girls never got a record deal.'

'Did you just compare the Spice Girls to Hitler?'

'Never mind that,' the Doctor replied. 'The point is that we banished the Verschlings to another dimension. They should never have been able to get back. _Ever_. But apparently it's happening.'

Ashley prodded her jaw thoughtfully. 'So… what do we do?'

The Doctor was quiet for a moment. 'Not a lot until I know exactly how they're getting through.' He turned to her, leaning on his shoulder instead of his back. 'There's no way they come through the Angel's Eye. It isn't a _hole_. It's just… more like a window. A window left ajar. They can't fit through it. They would just get turned to mush.'

'Maybe they don't know that.'

'I'm pretty sure they will have tried it already. They'll know.' The Doctor pondered silently. 'Leville said something about details. What details?'

'Well, let's break it up,' Ashley said. 'I might miss some things because I think that bastard knocked some of my brain cells out of my ears but I'll have a go anyway. We're the nearest thing to the light anomaly, right? There are no planets nearby?'

The Doctor nodded. 'Not as close to the anomaly as the hotel.'

'And… someone took over the construction of this place just after it appeared, right?'

'Go on.'

'That would suggest that whoever bought the hotel knew what the anomaly was.'

The Doctor was nodding slowly. 'Sounds about right.'

'So they would have worked on it to make sure it would attract people,' Ashley carried on, trying her best not to lose her track of thought, which was starting to get increasingly complicated in her throbbing head. 'Because whatever they're going to do, they'll need a lot of people for it. And that's worked, because there are hundreds of people here.'

'Leville said he needed details to send to them…'

Ashley shrugged, her migraine being too much to fight. 'Maybe it's so each of the Van Helsings have a dance partner? Oh I dunno…'

'That's it!' the Doctor cried out suddenly. He grabbed her arms and grinned. 'I can guarantee you that every single person who received an invitation had to have a blood test before flying out here. _That's_ what the details are! Their DNA!'

Ashley was frowning at him. 'How would they possibly send blood samples of hundreds of people into another dimension?'

'Same way as Leville talks to them on the phone,' the Doctor went on, pacing the room with his hands pulling at his hair. 'The radio waves are getting through the Eye. They broke down the DNA strands and sent them through, ready to be put back together by the Verschlings. Oh it's _genius_! And once they have the _details_ of every single person at the party they can…' He trailed off.

Ashley waited apprehensively. 'They can what? Doctor?'

The Doctor appeared again right in front of her. His expression was solemn. 'They don't need these people to feed the Verschlings.' He told her gravely. 'These people are going to _become_ the Verschlings.'

Ashley's jaw would have dropped if it wasn't so swollen. 'That's impossible.'

'No,' the Doctor shook his head. 'It's not.' He held her hand tightly and led her to the door. 'We need to get everyone out of here and away from the Eye. If we can get it out of range then hopefully the Verschlings will lose momentum and just evaporate in space.' He rattled the door handle and then pulled out the sonic screwdriver. 'We've got to do something, or in ten minutes this whole platform is going to be swarming with those monsters, ready to set off and pillage whatever planet they get to.' He turned to look at Ashley. 'And there are no Time Lords left to send them back this time.'

Ashley swallowed. 'There's you.' She said.

The Doctor smiled thinly. 'I'm just one Time Lord. It took three thousand of them last time.'

Ashley had a few seconds to look worried, before the Doctor opened the door and led her out into the red-lit corridor.

* * *

Ashley made the decision to leave her shoes behind in the room. It wasn't a very hard decision and she didn't even look back to them as they quickly and quietly snuck down the dark corridor, not sure whether or not they were headed the right way.

'We've got ten minutes,' the Doctor whispered. 'Or it's probably about eight now.'

'To do what, exactly?' Ashley whispered back, scanning her surroundings for any lurking barmen.

'Well… I'm sure I'll know when the time comes.'

'That doesn't sound too promising.'

The Doctor stopped suddenly and turned around, bundling her to the left so they were both tucked away in an alcove. Ashley frowned at him questioningly, but he shook his head and put his finger to his mouth. He tapped on his ear, and then pointed towards the corridor.

'You definitely locked the door?' It was Leville, and he sounded anxious.

'Of course I locked the door,' his son replied irritably. 'Do you think I'm stupid or something?'

'No, it's just that man had a tendency to get through locked doors. He's done it a few times already. I just don't want them messing this up.'

'What could they possibly do to mess it up anyway? They're nobodies. Just bloody spongers. Nosy spongers at that.'

'You shouldn't underestimate people, Rynian.'

'I'll stop it when they start surprising me.' Rynian grumbled. He came into view, looking slightly stressed. He suddenly resembled his father quite a lot as he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. 'How long it is anyway?'

'Seven and a half minutes.' Leville replied.

'So what, are we staying down here or are we going to greet them?'

Leville shuffled uncomfortably.

'C'mon, dad! What's wrong with you? This was all your idea in the first place, and the closer it gets the more you start twisting your face.'

Leville shifted again. 'Well… it's just… All those people. There are hundreds of people up there, Rynian.'

Rynian snorted. 'They deserve it.' He muttered darkly. 'You'll be laughing about your doubts when this is over and we're rich.'

'That's the thing,' Leville sighed. 'We were rich before we built this place. Did we even need any more money?'

Rynian was silent and startled for a moment. 'People always need more money, dad. What the hell is wrong with you?'

'Nothing. Sorry, son.'

Rynian sighed heavily. 'That leaves about seven minutes now. We're wasting time here. Just chill out and…'

The Doctor had tried to grab her, but she had slipped out of his hands easily. Ashley lunged towards Rynian, who looked at her with bewildered stupor, and she hit him hard in his face with her fist. Stunned, he half twirled and crashed into a pile of boxes behind him. He lay there, dazed. The Doctor emerged, rolling his eyes.

'That's for kicking me in the face!' Ashley roared with her fists clenched by her sides.

Leville looked around in alarm. The Doctor pushed his hands in his pockets and stepped forward. 'Right then, that was an interesting conversation to overhear. Should have guessed it was for money. People will do anything for money these days, won't they? Sounds like a bit of a dodgy investment though; taking the word of a bunch of invisible aliens from another dimension and spending all your savings building a big fancy hotel so they can what, double your money for you? There are places in Vegas who can promise you the same thing with much less effort involved. And much less money but… that's not important.'

He turned and looked to Rynian, who had recovered some and was starting to get up.

'Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you,' the Doctor shook his head. 'You've wound her up big time, and she's like a rottweiler when she gets going.' He paused to eye Ashley. 'Or more like one of those little yappy things.'

'You said you'd locked the door!' Leville cried.

'I did!' Rynian snarled. 'He must have a skeleton key or something.'

The Doctor produced the sonic screwdriver and tossed it up in the air, catching it again with a grin. 'Oh, I suppose you could call it that.' He turned to Leville and held out his hand. 'Now if you would like to give me your phone.'

Leville just stared at him, bug eyed.

The Doctor clicked his fingers impatiently. 'Come on, come on! End of the universe in six minutes! No time to be catching flies!'

Leville handed over the phone, mostly out of bewilderment, and the Doctor turned the sonic screwdriver on it. Ashley leaned over towards him.

'What are you doing?' she asked.

'Seeing if I can get through to our expected guests.' His tongue traced his teeth as he worked. Finally, the phone beeped and he smiled. 'There we go! Now quiet please while I'm on the phone.' He put the phone to his ear and waited.

The gruff voice that replied was not at all pleasing on the ear. The Doctor moved the phone away for a moment with a wince.

'Oh hello, yes? Am I through to the Verschlings? Current residence, not this universe?'

'Who is this?' a gruff voice demanded. 'This is not the Leville human.'

'No, it's not as a matter of fact. This is the Doctor. And well, I'm quite sure this is not going to work, but I'd like to ask you to hold off this whole coming over to this universe thing for say… forever?'

'We do not take requests from humans.' The gruff voice barked.

'Oh, okay. How about from Time Lords?'

There was a chorus of angry growls and barks from the other end of the phone, once again causing the Doctor to move it from his ear. A moment later and the line cut off. The Doctor tossed the phone back to Leville, who fumbled with it before managing a secure grip.

'Well, that was helpful.' The Doctor sighed.

'What did they say?' Ashley asked.

'Nothing much really.' He glanced at his watch. 'And we've got five minutes.'

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and then sprinted along the corridor to the stairs that lead back to the great hall.


	10. For One Extra Minute

**A/N: Cliffhanger! lol!

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**Chapter Ten**

**For One Extra Minute**

When Leville had said the corridors could get confusing, he hadn't been lying. They seemed to sprout off in every direction, and every turning they chose seemed to be the wrong one. Twice they reached dead ends and once they emerged in a kitchen containing a rather bemused looking chef before they actually found the staircase.

Out of breath, the Doctor looked at his watch and cursed. Ashley peered over his arm, also panting heavily.

'How long?' she asked, knowing the answer wasn't going to be good.

'One minute.' The Doctor replied. 'We're going to be too late.'

He bounded up the stairs; taking them three at a time while Ashley hurried after him. He ran straight towards the service doors, kicking a pan across the floor as he went causing it to clatter noisily, and burst out into the grand hall. Ashley stumbled out behind him, and then both came to a halt.

The nearest partygoers stopped and looked at them in bewilderment. They stood perfectly still, champagne in their hands and frozen smiles on their faces. They quickly looked disgusted at the sight of the two quite sweaty and quite dishevelled intruders, before turning to each other and muttering amongst themselves. The Doctor looked to the right, saw a dining chair and pulled it towards him. He hopped up onto it and raised his hands.

'Everyone!' he called loudly. 'Everyone, can I have your attention please!'

A hush fell over the room. Someone told him to get down off the chair. Someone else stated that he had drunk too much free wine. A murmur began to ripple through them all again.

'Please shut up,' the Doctor told them sternly, and they did. 'You're all in danger. You need to get out of here right now. Get in your ships and your… your limos, whatever, and leave. Get as far away from here as you possibly can. You've only got forty seconds!'

The room was so silent that they could almost hear the bubbles popping in the champagne. The Doctor's eyes scanned them all, waiting for them all to turn and run out of the doors. Ashley stood awkwardly, prodding at her jaw. Then, somebody laughed nervously. It spread quickly and all of a sudden everyone was back to chatting and dancing. The Doctor looked around in disbelief, and then looked towards Ashley. She shrugged in response.

'What's wrong with you people?' the Doctor cried, but his voice wasn't carrying as well over the sound of everyone in the hall. 'You have to get out of here! _Now_!'

'Oh get down,' a man called to him. 'You're getting that chair all dirty.'

The Doctor's eyes were almost bulging in complete astonishment. 'You're all going to die if you don't get out of here _right now_!'

A few nervous faces looked towards him, but they had all decided that he was more of a nuisance than anything else. He realised that no one was going to listen to him. He jumped down off the chair and moved to Ashley, running his hands through his hair.

'Why are humans so _thick_?' he cried.

'Um, human here.' Ashley reminded him.

'We need to get them out of here,' the Doctor insisted. 'Any second now they're all going to-'

He was cut off as a sudden brilliant light filled the room. He automatically shielded Ashley and squinted through the brightness at the people around. They screamed as violet lights shot down into them. Glasses of champagne crashed to the floor and doors around them thudded as people tried to run. Then the sound came.

It was an awful _squelching_ sound. Someone screamed so loudly that everything just seemed to buzz for a few moments, and then there was more screaming. The squelching got louder, and then something started clicking.

'We have to get out of here.' The Doctor told Ashley gravely. 'Right now.'

'We don't know where the TARDIS is!' Ashley cried, barely audible over the screams and the awful sounds.

The Doctor looked around, and saw the first Verschling. It had a tiger pelt draped over its back. It turned its head up to the ceiling and roared deafeningly, before leaping up across the huge room and grabbing a chandelier. It swung there like some kind of grotesque ape, examining the carnage with its beady eyes, and then it looked to the Doctor and Ashley. They stared back in horror.

'What the bloody hell is that!?' Ashley cried.

It seemed to grin and readied itself to pounce.

'Go!' the Doctor yelled, shoving Ashley back towards the service doors. More deafening roars broke out all around them, gradually replacing the agonising screams. The Verschling on the chandelier pounced from its perch as the Doctor and Ashley scrambled to get back through the doors. They slammed them shut and the Doctor quickly grabbed a nearby broom and jammed it through the handles. Seconds later there was a _thud_ on the other side, and then an angry bellow.

'That's your broom, isn't it?' Ashley said breathlessly.

'I love that broom.' The Doctor replied.

The sounds coming from the hall were horrendous. There were only a few human screams now – the rest weren't human at all. More thuds sounded on the barricaded service doors and Ashley backed away slowly. The Doctor grabbed the heavy metal shelves against the wall and shoved them up against the doors. He moved back, joining Ashley's side. They stood there for a moment, listening to the madness that lay on the other side.

'Did those things… Did they just burst out of those people?' Ashley asked quietly.

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it hard. 'We were too late.' He said quietly. He turned to her. 'I'm sorry.'

Ashley looked back solemnly and said nothing. There was a louder thud on the doors and the two of them looked back to it, watching them rattle and shake. The broom held, but it was obvious it wasn't going to hold for long.

Ashley swallowed hard. 'Doctor, I just want to say-'

'Don't.' the Doctor replied. 'Some things don't need to be said.'

Ashley fell quiet, and waited for the broom to give.


	11. Fire Balled

**Chapter Eleven**

**Fire Balled**

Ashley was in the middle of thinking about everyone she had left behind and wondering how they would react if they had ever known who the Doctor really was, or what was inside that magnificent blue box of his, or that she had been to some of the most extraordinary places in the galaxy, when all those thoughts suddenly popped away as she felt herself being hauled backwards. She looked around in alarm and saw the Doctor heading off down the dark corridor, clutching tightly onto her hand.

'Come on, come on!' he cried. 'Can't just stand around gawping!'

Ashley glanced back to the trembling door. 'But… we're locked in!'

The Doctor shot her a disappointed look. 'Did you think we were going to stand there and wait for the doors to open like milk bottles?' He snorted. 'There's dark corridors to be running down and futile plans of action to be attempting.'

Ashley felt a little foolish for thinking that it was all over already. Of course it wasn't over. 'Okay… so what are these futile plans?'

'One of them involves a bucket of super glue balanced above a door – that's quite futile.' The Doctor glanced back to her and smiled. 'Plenty more where that came from.'

Ashley didn't look convinced. 'You are aware that we're probably going to die today, aren't you?'

'Not if I've got a say in it,' the Doctor replied. 'Now… these being service corridors they could run under the whole place, which means if we head…' He paused and looked around, before pointing to his right. 'That way, we should get to the generator room.'

He headed along the corridor, letting go of Ashley's hand. She followed, trying to figure out what he had planned. 'Shouldn't be find the TARDIS?'

'Plenty of time for that,' the Doctor replied. 'Well there's not… Probably only about ten minutes before those doors break open if I'm honest, but it'll be fine.'

'You're not very convincing.'

'I'm very convincing!'

Ashley half nodded and rolled her eyes. 'Okay, whatever makes you happy.'

The Doctor shot her a mildly disgruntled look just as they turned the corner. Because he hadn't been watching where he was going, he slammed right into the person coming the other way. He let out a startled cry and stumbled backwards into Ashley, while the other person did exactly the same thing to the person behind them.

'What the…? You two!' the Doctor cried in disbelief. 'It took us ages to find the stairs after leaving you! How comes you always find things when you don't want to find them anymore?'

Rynian dusted off his shirt and frowned. Leville moved forward, his face paper white. 'What's all that noise?' he asked. 'What's going on up there?'

The Doctor's face darkened. '_That_, Mr Leville, is the sound of hundreds of Verschlings who have just burst out of the bodies of your party guests.'

'But the banging…'

'That's them trying to get through the locked door to _eat_ us.' Ashley told him.

Leville paled even more, if that was even possible. 'But they said… I thought…'

'Oh, he says-she says, I thought, we thought,' The Doctor snorted. 'I frankly don't care anymore. I'm more concerned with getting the few people who are alive out of here alive and then sending those things back where they came from.'

Rynian laughed humourlessly. 'Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?'

The Doctor ignored him. 'Were there any others who were lucky enough not to have their DNA information sent across?' he asked Leville. 'In other words, is there anyone else in the building lucky enough to be still alive?'

Leville thought for a moment, but he looked like he was having a lot of difficulty. This was obviously not how he had expected things to pan out. 'Um… well… There was myself and Rynian, of course… and you two… Unless more people managed to get in without an invite.'

Ashley was frowning thoughtfully. 'So… that includes the staff, right? The bar people and the waiters.'

Leville nodded. 'Why yes.'

She looked to the Doctor, but he knew fine well what she was getting at. 'We saw a chef,' she reminded him. 'That means there's at least one already down here.'

The Doctor nodded. 'And where there's chefs there are probably more waiters.'

'And a few technicians,' Rynian added uninterestedly. 'They normally hang around down here.'

The Doctor pushed his hands through his hair. 'Well that's just fantastic, isn't it?' he muttered. He thought anxiously for a moment. 'We need to get to the generator room.' He said finally. 'Which way is it?'

Leville bristled. 'What? Why would you want to do there?'

'Because it's our only chance at getting rid of those things.' The Doctor replied. 'Now are you going to tell me or are you going to stay here and wait for those things to get inside and tear you apart?'

Leville deflated and pointed down the corridor. 'That way.'

Rynian shoved him in the shoulder. 'What the hell are you doing? You know he's going to down there to blow this place up, don't you? We're going to end up with _nothing_!'

'Oh face it, Rynian,' Ashley scowled. 'You've already got nothing.'

He glowered at her and took a step forward, but the Doctor intercepted the attempted intimidation. 'Don't you dare.' He warned.

Rynian glared at him for a moment, and then moved back in line beside his father. 'You blow this place up,' he hissed. 'And you'll have to pay the damages.'

The Doctor beamed brightly at him. 'Oh don't worry. No explosions necessary, and you'll have a lovely mess to clean up in the hall, and a nice story to tell the authorities.'

Rynian's cheeks flushed, but he fell silent. The Doctor tapped Ashley's shoulder and nodded for her to follow him in the direction Leville had pointed them. They hadn't gotten two steps when Leville jogged after them.

'Wait!' he called. 'Can't we come with you?'

Rynian looked shocked. 'Dad!'

He turned to his son. 'Oh face it, Rynian! We've messed this whole thing up. Those two know what's going on here and, well… if we stay down here we're going to end up dead. I don't want to die, Rynian.' He turned back to the Doctor, who was looking at him sceptically. 'We know the layout,' Leville insisted. 'And I can take you to your TARDIS.'

The Doctor's eyes flickered over the two of them. 'Keep up.' He told them. 'We'll be moving fast.'

Leville breathed a sigh of relief and followed them. Rynian hesitated, lip curling angrily, before jogging to catch up.

'How long will it take to get to the generator room?' the Doctor asked Leville, without slowing. Even Ashley was having a little trouble keeping up without running alongside him.

Leville hopped and skipped to catch up. 'Um… five minutes?' he suggested. 'They twist and wind a little. It would only be two minutes or so if there were no turns.'

The Doctor nodded. 'The doors should hold. We should be fine unless-'

The sound of a heavy metal door thudding open behind them caused them all to whirl around in alarm. Rynian, who was trailing a little behind and was consequently nearest to the door, turned to find his nose mere inches away from the wrinkled, snarling face of a Verschling with the remains of a white chef's uniform hanging from its armoured torso. Rynian whimpered.

'Rynian!' the Doctor cried. 'Move!'

Leville made a strange, strained sound and ducked behind a metal laundry bin. Ashley began to move forward, but the Doctor grabbed her.

'What are you doing?' he frowned.

She looked at him, eyes glittering. 'Let go.' She ordered, and the Doctor did. She moved forward, rubbing her hands together. 'Rynian! Move out of the way!'

Rynian was staring in terror at the creature in front of him. 'I… I can't!' he insisted.

The Verschling snapped its hooked teeth and shuddered, its scales clicking together noisily. Ashley narrowed one eye, and the pointed a finger at the back of Rynian's right leg. Suddenly Rynian yelled out and ducked to grab the back of his leg. There was a small patch, no bigger than a penny, which was smouldering away. The Verschling looked momentarily stunned by the sudden movement, but quickly raised its limbs to attack. Ashley pushed her hands out, palms outwards, and gritted her teeth. A fireball just seemed to emerge about a meter from her outstretched hands, and slammed hard into the Verschling's chest. It flew backwards with a yelp, and then writhed and struggled in the flames. The Doctor ran forward, grabbed Rynian and hauled him to his feet.

'Move!' he yelled, watching the Verschling as the flames died down. '_Now_!'

Rynian scrambled to his feet and sprinted down the corridor, closely followed by his father who sprang out of his hiding space. The Doctor grabbed Ashley's hands (which were quite warm now) and pulled her after him.

'Been practising?' he asked casually, despite both his hearts thudding at a dangerous speed.

'Oh, just a bit.' Ashley replied breathlessly.


	12. Plan B

**A/N: Whoosh, been stupidly busy the past couple of days, what with stupid Crimbo shopping to be doing and all, and I've been neglecting this poor story. Two more chapters methinks, and I'll probably get the rest of it done today though, taking I'm dying of the flu. Well it's not flu - more like man flu, you know when you think it's worse than it actually is? Really, I just have a cough. But still I feel crappy, so I'm doing nothing today :P This chapter's mildly gory, just so you know D:

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**

**Chapter Twelve**

**Plan B**

They ran without speaking for a couple of minutes, Leville leading the way after finding his second wind from the run in with the Verschling chef. Rynian was limping, favouring his right leg a little. Leville had been right – the corridors did twist and turn. If the Doctor and Ashley had tried to find the generator room on their own they would have had no chance.

'So… what are you then?' Rynian asked, heaving for breath. 'You're not human.'

It took Ashley a moment to realise he was talking to her. She glanced back, frowning. 'I'm sorry?'

'The whole fire ball thing,' Rynian reminded her. 'I've never met anyone who can do that unless they have an aerosol can and a lighter. What are you then?'

Ashley blinked at him for a moment. 'I… well…'

'Were there any technicians in the generator room?' the Doctor asked loudly, purposefully ending the conversation. Ashley looked at him thoughtfully but remained quiet.

'Most probably,' Leville replied. 'There are always two on standby in case of any malfunctions…' He trailed off, realising what the Doctor was getting at.

'Then we'll have to be prepared for when we go in.' the Doctor told them all. 'Verschlings might be all claws and teeth, but they're smart. They'll be hiding.'

'You seem to know a lot about them.' Rynian grumbled.

'Because it was my people who banished them in the first place.'

Rynian said no more, and neither did anyone else. Finally, Leville slowed to a trot, and then stopped completely. He pointed ahead, gasping like an elderly asthmatic.

'There are the doors to the generator room.' He wheezed.

They all stopped and examined the heavy steel doors. The Doctor began to approach slowly.

'Let me go first.' Ashley said. 'If they come running out I can just-'

'No.' the Doctor said sternly. 'You might get hurt.'

'Are you kidding me?' Rynian snapped. 'She can shoot fireballs! What are you going to do? Shout at them?'

The Doctor shrugged. 'It's worked before. I've got a very commanding tone, don't you know.'

'Just let me go first.' Ashley frowned. 'At least it'll give us a chance.'

The Doctor considered it, but Leville moved forward, waving a hand.

'No, no it'll be too dangerous.' He said. 'There are gas canisters inside. If you hit one of them by mistake, the whole place will go up.'

Ashley's expression darkened. 'If it takes those things out too then all the better.'

The Doctor looked at her worriedly, surprised by her statement. Ashley looked back at him, a look in her eyes that he had never seen before and didn't much care for. Finally, he shook his head. 'No. And that's the end of it.'

She narrowed her eyes briefly but nodded and stepped back. The Doctor approached the doors again, pressing a hand against it. Then he pulled out the stethoscope and pressed it against the door. The others watched him until he moved away.

'I can hear three.' He confirmed. 'But the sound of the generator… there could be more.'

Rynian ran his fingers through his hair. 'This is insane.' He muttered. 'We should just open the door, wait for them to come out and then get her to blast them.'

The Doctor ignored him and began to open the door.

'He's got a point, Doctor,' Ashley insisted. 'That way they'll be away from the gas.'

'No.' the Doctor told her. 'And don't ask again. Nothing else dies.' He glared around at everyone, making sure he had been heard, and then hauled open the doors. He stepped inside casually, tucking his hands into his pockets.

The room was large and hot. A mixture of gassy, chemically smells filled the air, making everyone cough a little – apart from the Doctor. The generator was a huge metallic cylinder, attached to tanks with various sized tubes and pipes. The ceiling was dark and the rest of the room was dimly lit with the same red lights. Plenty of places to hide.

'I know you're in here,' the Doctor called. 'I want to talk to you.'

Rynian tugged on Ashley's arm. 'What the hell is he doing?' he hissed. 'Is he crazy?'

Ashley shook him off irritably, and watched the Doctor closely. Something shifted in the darkness directly above them. There was a growl somewhere off to the right.

'I'm giving you all one chance.' The Doctor told them. 'Leave now willingly, or I'll make you leave.'

There was a rasping sound that could have been laughter from somewhere ahead. Leville looked like he was about to faint. Rynian was peering around the doorframe, ready to run if the situation changed in any way.

'Tell me who I'm speaking with.' The Doctor demanded.

'Tell _us_ who _we're_ speaking with.' A raspy voice replied, sounding faintly amused. 'Or rather, who we're about to _eat_.'

'You're speaking to the Doctor. To a Time Lord.'

There were hisses from all around, followed by shuffling and the unmistakable sound of claws on metal.

'_Time Lord_!' a voice hissed angrily. 'How _dare_ you show your face. We'll _destroy_ you. We'll tear you apart, eat your heart-'

'Oooh, you're a poet and you didn't even know it!' the Doctor cried, strangely jovial. 'You should write a book. Would be good for Valentines Day. Well, Valentines Day for psychopaths…'

Ashley was used to his sudden rambles, but Rynian was completely bewildered by the sudden change on tone. He grabbed Ashley's arm again and she shoved him off with a scowl.

'You're a liar,' a new voice snarled from the right. 'The Time Lords are _dead_. We felt them die. We heard their screams, felt them burn, burn like they _deserved_ to burn.'

The Doctor's expression hardened. 'This is your last warning. Go back.'

'Not for a _Time Lord_.' Another hissed. 'We'll tear you apart, eat your-'

'Heart, yes I heard you the first time. And it's _hearts_, actually. Two. You can take your pick, the left one is generally better than the right, although that's just preference on my part. Might be completely different for you…'

'_Silence_!' the creature above them hissed. 'I do not care for noisy meals. We'll tear you apart-'

'So you keep saying, but you're yet to do it.' The Doctor pointed out. 'What are you waiting for? I'm here, waiting for the tearing and the heart eating.' He waited. 'Come on!'

'Doctor,' Ashley whispered. 'You're winding them up.'

The Doctor waved a hand for her to be quiet.

'The _female_,' one of the Verschlings hissed. 'She's _warm_.'

'Well it is quite hot in here…' the Doctor agreed.

'Her body is _warm_ but her heart is _cold_,' the hidden creature continued. 'She lives for the heat. She wants to see us burn. Wants to see us burn and scream and turn to _ashes_…'

'Leave now.' The Doctor ordered loudly. 'Right _now_.'

There was silence for a few moments. The sound of running footsteps cut through the silence and they whirled around to see Rynian running away down the corridor.

'Rynian!' the Doctor cried, but it was useless.

One of the Verschlings sprung from the darkness, claws extended, jaws open. The Doctor and Ashley ducked and it leapt over them, chasing down Rynian. They watched in horror as it sprung on him, knocking him down onto his front. Rynian's screams were blood curdling. The Verschling tore into him like he was a Christmas present. The Doctor looked around, eyes dark.

'Fine then,' the said. 'We'll do it the hard way.'


	13. Disobeying Orders

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Disobeying Orders**

The Verschling that was feeding on Rynian seemed content enough with its kill and ignored the other three, but there were still the remaining Verschlings to worry about. One swung down the pipes on the generator like a grotesque ape, using all four limbs to help its descent. The whole time it watched the Doctor with all of its eyes. Two more Verschlings came into view, moving slowly and warily. The one on the generator was larger than the others, with a huge scar running across its snout. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was the leader.

'When I first learned of the death of the Time Lords,' it hissed, lowering itself onto the ground. 'I was disappointed. I wanted to kill them myself.'

The Doctor got to his feet. 'You've made the wrong decision here.' He said. 'You'll regret it.'

'If I do,' the creature replied, grinning. 'You won't live to see me regret it. I've always wondered what Time Lord heart tastes like.'

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes. '_Hearts_. Two. I hate having to remind people of that.'

The Verschling hesitated, eyeing him warily. The other two were watching Ashley and Leville, probably itching to feed. Ashley clenched and unclenched her fists, waiting for them to attack.

'I find your lack of fear disturbing.' The Verschling growled.

The Doctor laughed and turned to Ashley. 'Oh for a minute there I thought it was quoting Star Wars! What does he say in the film? Faith? It's faith isn't it?' He turned back to the Verschling. 'Go on, say it.' He lowered his voice. 'I find your lack of faith disturbing.' He chuckled at his bad impression. 'Oh, little things.'

The Verschling snarled, now deeply annoyed, and then sprang forward. The Doctor's face immediately set and he pulled the sonic screwdriver out, pointing it to the generator. It whirred and buzzed, and then the generator let out a deafening squeal. The Verschlings all roared and dropped to the floor, claws over their heads. The Doctor turned to Ashley and Leville, who were wincing at the piercing sound.

'Verschlings have brilliant hearing,' he told them. 'This will be unbearable to them.'

'It's unbearable to me!' Ashley cried, hands clamped over her ears. She looked around at the Verschlings who were screaming in agony.

The Doctor ran to the generator, searching for the controls. Eventually, he found it and waved a hand at Leville to join him. Leville hesitated, but then scampered over, his eyes now taking up half of his face.

'Right,' the Doctor yelled over the whining generator. 'This is where the signal was coming from earlier. This is was brought them through, am I right?'

Leville nodded rapidly. 'Yes, yes but now they're through the…'

'That's all I needed to know,' the Doctor replied, and ducked underneath the control panel and began pulling wires out.

Ashley stood by the door, watching the writhing Verschlings. She glanced back up the corridor and could make out the bloody remains of Rynian. The Verschling that had killed him was throwing itself off the walls, leaving bloody smears everywhere. She grimaced, and headed over to the Doctor.

'What are you doing?' she asked.

'I'm reversing the signal,' the Doctor told her. 'The hole is still open, so if I can reverse the molecular transference and boost the signal to whatever they have on the other side, they should all go back to where they came from. Once they're gone I can use the remaining power in the generator to seal up the hole, preventing them from coming through again.'

'Is that what you did last time?' Ashley asked. 'The Time Lords, I mean.'

The Doctor nodded. 'They had a lot more power than I've got here, mind you.'

'But they still came through,' Ashley reminded him. 'What makes you think that they'll stay this time? What if someone else decides to bring them back and we're not here to stop them? We should kill them.'

The Doctor turned to her, eyes blazing. 'No!' he yelled, making her recoil. 'Nothing else dies. _Nothing_, understand?'

'But if they-'

'_No_!' he told her, his face set. They looked at each other for a few moments, the Doctor's face red and strained.

'Fine.' Ashley muttered, hardly audible over the whining. 'Whatever.' She moved away, crossing her arms.

The Doctor watched her for a moment, and then went back to work. A moment later and he had finished. He hopped back to his feet and began pushing buttons. 'There!' he cried. 'Now just to connect with the generator on the other side…'

Ashley turned to look back to him, unaware of the large Verschling that was dragging itself across the floor towards her. Leville noticed, but had no strength in him to warn her. Finally the Doctor looked around and noticed, but the Verschling had already gripped her ankle before he could yell.

'_Ashley_!' he cried, pushing himself away from the controls.

Ashley screamed as the razor sharp talons cut into her skin and she kicked wildly. The Verschling grinned up at her, jaws snapping. It pulled her hard and she fell down on her back. She kicked at its face with her other foot, but because her feet were bare she only received more cuts on the sole of her foot. She screamed, and then felt the Doctor grab her arms and pull her.

'Stop it!' she cried, feeling the resistance on her bones from the pulling. '_Stop it_! It _hurts_!'

The Doctor let go of her, but not because she told him too. Her hands were burning hot and they had left red patches on his palms.

Ashley sat up and slammed her hands on the Verschling's grinning head. Its grin vanished abruptly as the heat from her hands racked through its skull. It began to smoulder, and then it began to scream. Ashley screamed along with it, until it collapsed in a charred, black mess on the floor. She scrambled up, unable to put any weight on her wounded foot. The Doctor went to grab her and she pushed him away. That look he had seen in her eyes earlier was back, only more pronounced. She held her hand out at the gas cylinders.

'_No_!' The Doctor cried, grabbing out for her.

He knocked her off target, but the fireball still formed and still hit a small petrol can off to the right. The can exploded, sending smaller fireballs all over the room. They formed a ring around the gas cylinders.

'What did you _do_?' the Doctor yelled, grabbing her arms. '_What did you do_?'

Ashley turned to him angrily. 'What you _couldn't_.'

'We have to get out of here!' Leville yelled. 'We have to leave _now_!'

The Doctor took another moment to glare at Ashley, and then threw her arm over his shoulders and pulled her out of the burning room after Leville. 'Where's the TARDIS?' he demanded.

'Through here!' Leville cried back, already quite far ahead.

The Doctor looked back over his shoulder once at the destruction that could have been avoided. He looked to Ashley, who was near tears with her injury, and then he concentrated on getting out alive.

He would deal with her later.


	14. The Destruction of Beautiful Things

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Destruction of Beautiful Things**

The TARDIS had been stored in a closet not far from where the Doctor and Ashley had been locked up earlier. The air was already starting to get hot and thin from the fire in the generator room, and the Doctor estimated that it wouldn't be long before the whole place went up. He pulled out his key and used it to unlock the door, stumbling inside with Ashley leaning on his shoulder.

'Get in,' he yelled at Leville, who did as he was told.

The Doctor sat Ashley against a coral beam and ran to the controls, quickly setting a course to leave. Leville stood by the closed doors, looking around at the interior in wonder. He was either too astounded or he was still too terrified to mention the grandness of the control room. Ashley was practically sobbing against the coral beam, her shredded ankle pulsing with agony.

'Hold on,' the Doctor told them as the TARDIS began to whir. 'This might be a bumpy one!'

He was right. The TARDIS bumped and shook, causing Leville to drop to his knees and the Doctor to almost lose his grip on the console. After a moment, the TARDIS stopped, although the column still rose and fell quietly. The Doctor moved to the doors, not giving either of the other passengers a second glance, and pulled open the doors.

The hotel hung in space in all its glory, wonderful smooth curves that cost a fortune to design, and took years to build. The Angel's Eye was directly behind it. It was obvious why the place was called Eleven Stars.

A moment later, and the lower part exploded in ball of angry red fire. The explosions spread, engulfing the structure until there was nothing left but charred, skeleton remains. Leville stared at it sadly, and then touched his chest, his shoulders and his forehead, then closed his eyes. The Doctor looked at it also, expression set and solemn. Finally, he closed the doors and moved back to the console.

'I'll take you back to Earth.' He said. 'You can explain to them what you did.'

Leville nodded, and said nothing. Ashley looked up to the Doctor, but he avoided her gaze.

* * *

The authorities had taken Leville almost immediately. He hadn't tried to hide what he had done. He went quickly and quietly. Surprisingly they had no questions for either the Doctor or Ashley, so they left without saying anything.

Now though, Ashley was sitting up on the jump seats while the Doctor cleaned and bandaged her foot. Neither of them spoke, and nor had they spoken since leaving the hotel. The Doctor was angrily, she could tell. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to say anything to change that, so she said nothing.

'I should take you home, you know.' He said finally, not looking up as he secured the bandage. 'You know the rules. If I tell you not to do something…' He paused, opened his mouth to say more, and then shook his head and fell silent.

Ashley watched him sadly. 'I'm sorry.'

He looked up at her. 'I know you are.' He said with a sigh. He began to put everything away back into the small green first aid kit Ashley had bought a few days ago. 'So am I.'

'So… what now?' she asked, chewing the inside of her mouth. 'Are you…'

'Good job we bought this first aid kit, eh?' the Doctor said suddenly, getting to his feet. 'You were right after all. I think we should get a couple more, actually. We could even make a first aid room, just full of bandages and plasters and stuff. None of those anti-bacterial wipes though, no no. Awful, they are. And the sad thing is that they exist in some form in every culture. Those horrible stingy wipes. They make it hurt more than before you put it on, and they don't do anything more than what water does. Or at least I tell people that, and people normally believe me because I'm a doctor.'

Ashley smiled a little, and got to her feet. She moved towards him and hugged him, taking him by surprise. He seemed to hesitate before hugging her back. They stood like that for a moment in silence.

'Next time, you'll go home.' He said gently. 'Okay?'

'I know.' She said quietly. 'Thank you.'

He moved away from her, tossing the first aid kit carelessly over his shoulder. 'Don't know about you, but I stink from all that running. I'm off for a shower.' He headed out the console room chattering away about how the shower always seemed to run too cold, leaving Ashley on her own. She sat on the jump seats and looked down at her hand. She made a fist, and then quickly opened her hand, palm up. A small fireball hung a few inched above her palm, until she shook it away and it disappeared.

She smiled a little, and then sat back and closed her eyes.

**THE END

* * *

A/N: Oooh and that's episode 11! Close to the end now, or it would have been closer if I hadn't decided to do an extra episode about ZOMBIES! lawl yes zombies. Everyone loves zombies I reckon, and the Doctor needs some zombies in his life. So yas, extra episode (so they'll be 14 altogether instead of 13) and the next one will be called This Sorrowful Life, and the rating will probably go up cos we all know you can't have an un-gory zombie story (oooh poet)**.

**And thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, if it wasn't for you lot I would have given up on this series ages ago. So THAAAAANNKKSSSS! (-gives out toffees-)**


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